


Legacy

by Jedi_Olympian



Series: Kenobi Legacy Series [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Battlefront (Video Games), Star Wars: Rebels, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Daddy Issues, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Constipation, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, Male-Female Friendship, Mutual Pining, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other, Shy Luke, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:49:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 43
Words: 140,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26639860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi_Olympian/pseuds/Jedi_Olympian
Summary: The Republic has fallen. The Rebellion is fighting back against the tyrannical rule of the Empire. Obi-Wan Kenobi has fled to Tatooine under the moniker Ben to watch over the young Luke Skywalker and train his daughter, Kaleena, to become a Jedi.I suppose you don't need to read Handmaiden first to understand this story, but it might help.
Relationships: Derek "Hobbie" Klivian/Original Female Character(s), Ezra Bridger/Sabine Wren, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Luke Skywalker/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Kenobi Legacy Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937962
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Transition

**Author's Note:**

> Currently crossposting stories from FFN to here. Here's the continuation of Handmaiden as the story follows Cattleya and Obi-Wan's daughter Kaleena. My writing has progressed over time, so the quality of work gets better as the story goes.
> 
> Starts where shortly after the previous story left off and carries through Star Wars: Rebels, the OT trilogy, and an episode of the Mandalorian, ending before the sequel trilogy.

19 BBY

Obi-Wan Kenobi sauntered out of the room quietly, so as to not awaken the sleeping child. He moved silently through the small hut he found not long after leaving the newborn Skywalker with the Lars family. It was quaint and humble, not much unlike a Jedi's quarters. It was obviously abandoned, and close but still far enough away from the Lars homestead to keep a watchful eye on the baby without the uncle knowing. His own daughter, Obi-Wan could tell, was already well attuned to the Force, just as he knew baby Luke would be as well, like his father.

The former Jedi pulled on his cloak and left the dwelling, stepping into the dusty outdoors. It was sunset, and Obi-Wan gazed upon the twin Tatooine suns lighting up the sky in beautiful oranges, reds, pinks, and purples as the wind blew gently. The desert wasn't as stuffy as the vast city-planet of Coruscant. And it was calm. Tatooine, despite everything going on, was a nice change of pace.

Tomorrow he'd have to go into the nearest settlement to get simple supplies. The former inhabitant of the hut left the large appliances: a stove, a refrigerator unit, a generator, a bed, a sonic dishwasher, and a ventilation unit, stuff that couldn't be hauled off in a small speeder or on an eopie. However, if he and Kaleena were to live comfortably for who knows how long, he needed to acquire more fuel for the generator, a space heater for the night time, some blankets, a humidifier unit, and food. He also wanted to find a few toys for Kaleena, like a rattle or some blocks, to distract her when he was busy. Well, for at least until she was ready to begin Jedi training. Obi-Wan did not know how well he'd be good at training a youngling since his first and only apprentice he started teaching at a later age, but he'd try his best to keep the Jedi way alive.

Obi-Wan stayed outside for a while, letting himself relax as he sat on the ground, close to meditating. But his thoughts kept him from becoming one with the Force. His thoughts dwelled on recent events. The end of the Clone Wars, the fall of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, the death of Senator Padmé Amidala, the exile of himself and Master Yoda, the deaths of thousands of Jedi, the betrayal of the clone troopers. The list was long, but mainly his thoughts focused on Anakin and Cattleya, his former padawan and the love of his life.

He didn't cry, he didn't mourn, though he wanted to do both. What Obi-Wan needed to do was stay strong, for himself, for Luke, for his daughter. If he didn't do that, he'd be disappointed in himself and everything he learned.

The next day, Obi-Wan got up early to head into town. He trusted in the Force telling him that was the right time, which was good since he didn't want his daughter to be alone for too long at such a young age.

The trip took longer than Obi-Wan originally believed it would, but he managed. The former Jedi weaved through the streets, quickly finding the supplies he needed. At last, his attention was caught by a particular shop. It was manned by an older woman, who had grey hair and wrinkled eyes. Obi-Wan walked over, eyeing a few things. The first thing he noticed was a small straw doll that was dressed in Jedi-like clothing. The other was an intricately braided leather cord.

"Can I help you with anything, young man?" the lady asked Obi-Wan. Her dark eyes gazed at him curiously, wondering who this new man was. A pilot, perhaps? That thought quickly left her mind as she eyed his clothing. It was too loose, too humble. A Jedi in hiding.

"Oh, um, how much for the doll and the cord?" Obi-Wan inquired. In her old age, the woman had seen many things, and she knew immediately that the doll he wanted was for a child, and by his attitude, she knew he was alone.

"I'll give you them for free," she replied.

"Really?" Obi-Wan was skeptical. Nothing, especially these days, is free.

"They're yours if you tell me your name." The lady's eyes were kind and filled with wisdom. Obi-Wan somehow knew he could trust her, but he still wanted to use a fake name. He hesitated, trying to think of one, then his mind settled on one with meaning to him.

"Ben. Ben Kenobi."

Her eyes softened more at his words. "Welcome to Tatooine, Ben."

Obi-Wan smiled at her. "Thank you." He nodded to her and grabbed the doll and cord before making his way back to his eopie with everything he needed to live a happy life with his daughter. Well, as happy as they could be on a barren desert planet in a galaxy controlled by the Empire while he's being hunted. But they could find peace in the Force and happiness with each other.

The trek back to the no longer abandoned hut was slower than before. The former Jedi made it back in time to see his daughter awaken from her slumber. The transition from Jedi Master to humble father would be hard, but Obi-Wan Kenobi was ready. He was ready to become Ben Kenobi. For the next few years, he had to dedicate every moment of his life to training Kaleena in the ways of the Force and watching over the young Luke Skywalker. Rough times were ahead, but they all had to be ready to face their destinies.


	2. Love and Training

17 BBY

2 years later, Obi-Wan handed his daughter a puzzle, one that could only be solved using the Force. Even though he could feel her connection with the Force and had seen it when she threw temper tantrums, the only way to teach her was when she started learning to consciously use it.

Kaleena was 3 years old, smart, and capable, an obvious quick learner, but she was stubborn and didn't want to listen. It was hard to teach her, but Obi-Wan was patient, for he used to be just as stubborn and unteachable. It took little time for her to finish the puzzle. There was nothing inside of it, it was too old to hold anything knew, but she learned how to calm her mind when using the Force, and that was even more important.

After that the young girl progressed quickly, learning how to utilize the Force easily, yet at the same time, she became more and more impatient. Despite her immaturity, she was kind to anyone she met. However, she could never connect with animals through the Force, not that there were many animal options on Tatooine. Obi-Wan knew that many Jedi couldn't do so, so he moved on in her training.

One day, when Kaleena was 4, they were taking a break and she was sitting on her father's lap. The girl's big brown eyes looked into her dad's blue eyes and asked a question that made him freeze up. "What was Mom like? You don't talk 'bout her."

Obi-Wan looked down at his daughter and saw so much of the woman he loved. "She was very beautiful, kind, and quiet. Very loyal." His usually calm voice was quieter than usual but filled with adoration.

Kaleena noticed the slight change and took advantage of it. "How did you meet?" she questioned.

"We met on a planet called Naboo," he replied. "She served as a handmaiden to the queen of Naboo."

"What's a handmaiden?" Sometimes Obi-Wan forgot just how young his daughter was and how much she still didn't know.

"A handmaiden is similar to a servant," he explained. Kaleena grimaced. She knew what a servant was. She had seen many on her short time on Tatooine and knew they were basically akin to slaves, at least on the desert planet. "No, no. Handmaidens are very loyal. They serve and protect. And they are always a friend."

"Did she like being a handmaiden?"

Obi-Wan smiled and ran his hand through her dark hair, messing with the small braid hanging behind her ear that was tied with the cord he found shortly after they had arrived on Tatooine. "Yes, she did. The queen's name was Padmé Amidala. They were very close friends. You see, we met when some bad people were trying to harm the queen and the people of Naboo. My master and I were sent to help and we aided in getting the queen and a few others, including your mother, off of the planet."

He had never told anyone the story, but it somehow felt right to tell it now. "Where did you go?" Kaleena pressed.

"We went to Tatooine."

Kaleena gasped. "We're on Tatooine!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, good, young one. Very good," he praised.

"Then what happened?" The youngling was excited to finally hear more about her dad's past and her mom, she was practically jumping.

"I was repairing the ship we were in while her queen and my master went to get parts since the ship was too damaged to leave. Your mother was walking around and came across me trying to fix the ship, and we started talking. We talked a few times before we were able to travel to Coruscant."

"Coruscant is the capital, right?"

Obi-Wan smiled in support. "Yes."

"Did you like her when you met her?"

The former Jedi smiled fondly at her innocent question. "Very much, but Jedi aren't allowed to love."

Kaleena crossed her arms and frowned indignantly. "That's dumb. Why can't we love?"

"Because we can be distracted and hurt by the ones we love. But I still broke the code by loving your mother. Love is worth it."

Kaleena looked up at him and asked, "You love me right?"

"I love you just as much as I still love your mother."

The girl's eyes widened. "You still love her?"

Obi-Wan chuckled a little at her shocked voice. "Yes, I do."

"You miss her?" she pressed on.

"Every day," Obi-Wan cemented.

The young girl sighed and leaned against her father. "I wish I met her," she proclaimed.

The old Jedi gaze out the window with sad eyes, holding his daughter close. "I wish you had, too. She was an amazing woman. Just as you will be."

* * *

13 BBY

Kaleena's training continued. Soon she began learning specifics about the Jedi Order, like the code, what they valued, and how to wield a lightsaber. And she excelled, absorbing information like a sponge.

The seven-year-old girl crawled out of the cellar, her personal room, after she finished her morning meditation. She didn't like doing it, but Obi-Wan had refused to teach her new things if she didn't meditate. It was the only thing that got her to do so. And Obi-Wan always knew when she didn't do her daily meditation. "What are we going to learn about today?" she asked as she sat at the dining table.

"Today," Obi-Wan began as he set a plate of food in front of his daughter, "you are learning the different paths a Jedi can take. There are three. Guardian, Consular, and Sentinel."

Kaleena swallowed a bite of meat and asked, "Which one are you?"

"I'm a Jedi Guardian. Guardians focus mainly on combat and lightsaber techniques; however, many Jedi Guardians are incredibly strong with the Force, to the degree of Jedi Consulars, for example, myself. Vice versa, Consulars can do extremely well in lightsaber combat that they can rival Guardians, like Master Yoda."

She nodded as she continued eating, taking in the information as well as food. "What about Sentinels?"

"Jedi Sentinels are a balance of combat and Force ability. Finish up eating and then we'll continue." The budding Jedi quickly ate and joined her father on the floor in the middle of the room. The both folded their legs and sat up straight.

"Now, Guardians were the Republic's first line of defense. We are warriors. Our main skills and talents are in battle." Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair as he remembered what he was taught. "Once there was a time when lightsaber colors signified which branch you represent. Guardians were blue for solidarity. Grand Master Windu was once a Jedi Guardian like myself. There are also a number of specialized paths Guardians can take. Exotic Weapons Specialists, Lightsaber Instructors, Aces, and Peacekeepers."

Kaleena's eyebrows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and understanding. "I understand the others, but what are Jedi Aces?"

"They're pilots."

"Oh," Kaleena drawled out. "Now it makes sense."

Obi-Wan chuckled in slight amusement. "Anyway, Jedi Consulars focus mainly on Force skills. They seek diplomatic measures and usually refrain from drawing their weapon, yet they still could hold their own in combat; however, it's always a last resort. Their lightsabers were usually green. Like I said before, Master Yoda is a Jedi Consular. The different paths for Consulars to take are to become Ambassadors, Artisans, Diplomats, Healers, Lore Keepers, Researchers, and Seers."

"Is that what your old master was?" Kaleena inquired.

The master shook his head. "No, he was a Guardian, but he did seem like a Consular at times. Lastly, a Jedi Sentinel is for Jedi who want a balance between the other two. They blended both schools of teaching with non-Force skills such as with computers, stealth, and repairs. Sentinels were rare, and typically had a yellow lightsaber which they barely lit. Their paths include becoming Investigators, Recruiters, Shadows, and Watchmen."

"What do you think I'll be?" Kaleena asked.

Obi-Wan leaned forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. He then said, "That is something only you can decide. Whether you want to fight, negotiate, or use stealth, I'll be proud. Although, I do think with your personality that you're best suited for fighting."

Kaleena grinned with satisfaction, but her questions weren't over. "Why did people stop practicing the colors?"

He waved his hand, brushing off the comment. "Many reasons. Padawans had the same color blade as their master but ended up going down a different path. Yellow crystals were harder to find. Some did not want a certain color. Sometimes crystals of other colors were found depending on where they went. Master Windu, for example, had a purple blade."

"Cool!" Oh, the innocence of a child.

"Someday you'll be constructing your own lightsaber and the Force will guide you to your own crystal. But for now, why don't you start with your exercises, hm?"

"Yes, sir." Kaleena rose from the floor and grabbed the old lightsaber her father gave her for training purposes and a training droid, taking both down to the cellar to practice.


	3. The First Lightsaber

11 BBY

Days passed by slowly, Kaleena becoming more and more powerful in the ways of the Jedi, yet in practically no time it was the perfect moment for her to take a major step forward, building her own lightsaber.

Traditionally padawans build their own lightsabers when they are both knowledgeable in the Force and the parts of a lightsaber as well as when the trainer believes they are ready to move on to more of the trials. Obi-Wan believed the time was right for his daughter, at the age of 9, to craft her own weapon.

Obi-Wan waited for as long as he could that day to pry his daughter away from her training. He opened the window and called out, "Kaleena, come here. Take a break from your exercises for a moment."

Kaleena sheaths the old lightsaber and deactivates the training droid, which was on the hardest setting. She then walked into the hut and said, "Yes, Dad?"

The aging Jedi took a seat at the dining table and gestured to the other chair, which Kaleena sat down in. "I want to give you something," he told her as he pulled a few things from an old pouch. Holding out a necklace, he looked to his daughter, saying, "This was your mother's. I once gave it to her and now I want you to have it."

The girl picked the necklace up and held it gently in her hand, gazing at the bluish-green crystal hanging from a thin chain. "Why do I feel the Force around it?" she asked. The Force signature was not unlike her father's.

"The crystal is very special. I gave it to your mother for safekeeping," he began to explain. "And now it's yours." Obi-Wan then held more crystals out to Kaleena, which she gingerly took. "All of these I found on my travels. The blue and green crystals are from Ilum, the main planet in which Jedi would obtain lightsaber crystals. Every crystal is connected to the Force."

Kaleena looked into her father's eyes. "Why are you giving them to me?" she inquired.

"Your mother would want you to have the necklace. And I believe you are ready to construct your first lightsaber."

That caused Kaleena to perk up and stare wide-eyed at her dad. "Really?" she exclaimed.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "First, choose one of the crystals. Let the Force guide you."

The padawan glanced over all of the crystals in her hand, her eyes settling on a cyan one. "This one." After setting the others down and putting her mother's necklace around her neck, she asked, "What's next?"

"Before you continue, you must hear a few things. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Remember, a lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi. To wield it properly, you must be disciplined and connected to the Force. If not, it may end in disaster. It is not a toy. This weapon will be your life, so treat it as such, and do not lose it. Do you think you can remember that?"

"Yes, Dad." Kaleena looked stoic and ready to take on the task, no emotion showing, completely at peace, like a Jedi.

"Good. You must imbue your Force signature into the crystal by meditating. It will take some time. Patience is the key. Only then can you put the saber together which must be done with the Force. Meditate alone in your room with nothing but the crystal. When you are done, you can gather the parts you need."

Kaleena nodded. "Will do." She stood and clutched the lightsaber crystal in her hand, then descended through the trapdoor into the cellar, her room.

It was a painstaking but necessary process. Since Kaleena had not traveled to a planet like Ilum to find her own kyber crystal in which one would have chosen her, she had to make the crystal hers.

Kaleena sat cross-legged in the center of the room, set the crystal in front of her, and turned off all the lights in the room with the Force. She sat in silence and darkness to calm and quiet her mind, but she couldn't. She could feel everything around her through the tendrils of the Force but couldn't tune it out. Instead of black, empty space, she could see the crystal on the floor, the crystal laying against her chest, the crystal in the practice lightsaber that sat on the table upstairs. She could see her father meditating on his bed and the eopie laying in the sand outside. She could also see the sand mites. But she couldn't block anything out.

Perhaps it was her excitement for finally getting to make her own saber or frustration with how long it's taken to be able to do so, but Kaleena sat for as long as she could trying to quiet her mind. It wasn't working. Slowly, her fists closed tightly and her jaw clenched as she tried harder and harder. She let out a noise of frustration and slammed her fists into the floor. Her breath quickened as she opened her eyes and stared at the crystal. It sat on the floor, unmoving as if it was mocking her. Her father didn't say it would be hard to make the crystal hers. He said it would take time. But how much time? And how was she supposed to focus if she could feel everything around her?

Kaleena placed her head in her hands as she hunched over. Why was all the Force stuff even necessary? She's been using a lightsaber this whole time to practice with, so why couldn't she just turn up the setting on it so it could be a normal lightsaber? The Force isn't necessary to wield one, it just made it easier. She'd read all about them in her dad's journals and datapads. The crystal is already a kyber crystal, it already has the Force, so why was she wasting time with this nonsense?

As she sat there clutching her head, the crystal resting against her chest started to pulse with life. It was relaxing and filled her with comfort, comfort she had never truly felt before. It filled the young girl with the sensation of a cool breeze and soft moonlight. The further it went on, the calmer she got. The tension in her shoulders decreased and she sat up straight, her eyes still closed.

All life surrounding Kaleena quieted in her mind and went blank. Kaleena was almost surprised that she had finally done it until a flare of color erupted in her mind. The glittering grey and white landscape were blurry at first, with a lighter shape in the middle. The vision grew clearer as the figure turned and smiled. Her long, curly brown hair framed her soft, joyful expression as she laughed.

The vision was cruelly ripped away as Kaleena realized who it was. The vision showed her mother. Her mom. Bringing her hand up to the crystal, Kaleena held on to it tightly as a single tear slid down her cheek. The padawan shut her eyes tightly and took in a deep breath. She had to do this. She had to succeed. She had to move forward with her training. It's her mind that's stopping her, not the Force, not her father, not some pathetic lifeforms around her. It's herself.

Kaleena forced herself to relax, unclenching and untensing every part of her body. She reached out with the Force once again and ignored every spec of life in her vicinity except for the single kyber crystal laying on the floor. She could feel the crystal rising slowly, floating in the air as she reached out with her own signature.

The pulsing started off light but grew with intensity as the kyber crystal was filled with life. Kaleena's eyes shot open. The kyber crystal floated in front of her face, glowing with a newfound intensity. The girl held out her hand and willed the crystal down until it rested gently in her palm. She was ready to build her lightsaber.

After collecting all the necessary components for her own lightsaber, Kaleena set down all the pieces in front of her, already compiling them in her mind. She knew what she wanted it to look like. She knew what her lightsaber needed to be the perfect companion weapon. Kaleena lifted the components of the saber into the air in front of her, the Force guiding the parts. The pieces fit together slowly but surely as Kaleena used the Force to put together her weapon. After a few missteps, the saber was complete.

The black-plated outside and silver-colored accents provided for a sturdy weapon. The grip felt right in Kaleena's hand. The saber ignited into a seamless cyan plasma blade. It was perfect.

Kaleena rose from the floor, keeping her lightsaber on. She swung it slowly around in order to test the balance and weight. It wasn't much different from her practice saber. It would suit her every need. The young girl swung it faster, testing it with a few moves from various lightsaber combat forms until she stood completely still, raising the blade in front of her. She was ready.


	4. The Way of the Krayt Dragon

7 BBY

Kaleena began the day with her morning meditation as usual. Meditation became easier the older she got. Now, at age thirteen, it was almost like second nature, but she still found it annoying to do when she felt she didn't need it. Sometimes she enjoyed the feeling of meditation after a long day since it helped relax her mind before going to sleep, or if she had a restless sleep, it helped her focus before learning. That morning wasn't one of those mornings.

The padawan crossed her legs as she sat on the floor and eased her mind, becoming one with the Force. It felt different that day, as though there was a disturbance that the Force was trying to bring to her attention. Kaleena focused on it as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing the Force to show her what it was trying to tell her.

For a moment, all Kaleena could see was blinding light, like the Tatooine desert at high noon. As the vision focused, the sand dunes distinguished themselves from the midday sky. In the distance was a sandstorm closing in fast. She could feel the rough winds and sand stinging her skin as two kids hid in a shallow canyon cave. She could feel their pain and terror as they braced against the cave wall that barely covered them, if at all.

The scene changed to include a clear sky and a giant monster. Both kids, now presumably male, from the previous vision were unconscious as a scaled beast with a tail and claws drew closer to them and a dewback.

A gasp escaped Kaleena's lips as her eyes shot open and she gripped the carpet she was sitting on. Kids her age were in danger nearby. She had to do something. Jedi were supposed to help people. Kaleena stood up and climbed the stairs to the main part of the dwelling. Closing the cellar door, she looked out the nearest window and spotted the makings of a sandstorm in the far distance. Quickly looking around and not seeing her father, she went outside and saw him meditating near the moister vaporator.

"Dad!" she called out, running over to him.

Obi-Wan turned his head to see his daughter hurrying towards him. "Is everything all right?" he asked, rising from the ground.

"I-I had a vision," she told him.

The old Jedi's face pinched in worry. The sound of her voice tipped him off about the possible contents. "What happened?"

"There were these two boys about my age who got trapped in a sandstorm," she explained, speaking faster the more she talked. "Then they, they were about to be attacked, eaten probably by some terrible monster with huge claws and fangs and a tail. I think it's about it happen, with this storm." Kaleena turned her head towards the horizon, pointing out the impending sandstorm.

Obi nudged his daughter towards the hut. "Inside. Now."

"What?" He ignored Kaleena's question, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the hut. Using the Force, he closed all the windows and ventilation shafts. After turning on one of the lamps they had for use during such storms, Obi-Wan looked at his daughter who seemed incredulous.

He shook his head at her. "You know the drill," he scolded. "Close everything and wait out the storm."

"But the boys-"

Obi-Wan cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Your immediate safety is more important."

"What about the beast I saw? It's supposed to attack them after the storm. We can't just sit here and do nothing." Kaleena folded her arms roughly over her chest, glaring at her dad. "You taught me to help people. That's what Jedi do."

"You're still learning."

She shook her head fervently. "That doesn't matter. We can still get them out of there." She pointed at the closed door behind her. "They aren't far away. I can feel it." Knowing he still wasn't going to budge, Kaleena decided to pull her favorite card. "They're innocent kids. Mom would want us to help. We can, so we must."

Obi-Wan's gaze softened. He hated it when she did that. Yet he knew she was right. Cattleya would want them to help anyone they could. It's what she always tried to do, but it got her killed. He faced his daughter completely and knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You're bold and strong. Your mother's blood runs through you. When she died, she left no instruction, but I can see that you're becoming a bright young woman. She'd be proud of you. But if your vision is correct, what you're seeing is a krayt dragon. You aren't ready to face such a threat yet. Keep training, and you'll get there before you know it. I can deal with it."

Kaleena still wanted to argue. Her eyes still betrayed her frustration. "But how can I be ready to face something when I never get to do anything?" She waved her hands around. "Lifting rocks and practicing lightsaber forms can only teach me so much. I barely ever get to leave the hut, even when you disappear to who knows where. I need experience, dad. Stop shutting me out. I can help you. I know I can."

"Kaleena. . ." He trailed off, which allowed Kaleena to finish her rant.

"And-and I read they have pearls in their bodies," she tried to argue, trying to give her father multiple reasons to let her tag along. "We can sell them and-and leave Tatooine. Or at least get some decent food, new clothing, or more parts for some of the appliances or my lightsaber. Please. If I'm so strong, let me prove it. If not to you, then to myself."

He paused at her insistence. The fierceness in her eyes echoed her mother's. Obi-Wan could never say no to those eyes. "Alright." Kaleena started to perk up. "But if I see you using Shien or Djem Sho instead of Ataru or Shii-Cho, you will be doing nothing but meditation for a week."

The padawan didn't care about the potential punishment. "Thank you!" She jumped into his already open arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The humble father patted her on her back, secretly enjoying the hug and still grumbling about the lightsaber forms. "Just because it's known as the Way of the Krayt Dragon, doesn't mean I'll let you use it on one."

"Of course, dad." Kaleena let go and stood back from her father.

Obi-Wan looked pointedly at her, gesturing accordingly. "And you will not be seen."

"But-"

This was one thing he would definitely decline. "No," he said sternly, not leaving any room for negotiation.

Kaleena sighed. "Can I at least ask why?"

He smirked lightly. "The Jedi are supposed to be in hiding, remember?"

"But what about you?" Kaleena was a little frustrated that he could show himself when she couldn't.

Obi shook his head slowly. "I won't be the one wielding a lightsaber, little one. And I'll be bringing the two home."

Father and daughter waited out the sandstorm, playing sabaac to pass the time. Despite Obi-Wan's original reluctance at buying the card game, Kaleena talked him into it, telling him that even Jedi needed a break once in a while. They settled on only playing it during sandstorms. Even Kaleena's growing worry over the boys in her vision couldn't stop her from honoring the tradition. But the moment the storm began to let up, Kaleena wrapped herself in her cloak, ready to head out. Master and padawan both had their cloaks and lightsabers and headed out the door of the dwelling as the storm dwindled to a light breeze.

They had long since sold the eopie, so they traveled on foot, tuning in to the Force to guide them to their destination. It was easy to track someone, specifically life forms in general, on Tatooine through the Force with the incredibly low population of sentients, flora, and fauna. It didn't take the two Jedi long to find the still unconscious boys. Kaleena was the first to spot them from the cliff she and Obi-Wan found themselves on top of. A dewback, also not conscious from the sandstorm, was a short distance away from the two human boys and was the main focus of the canyon krayt dragon closing in from a long cavern that led directly to the cave.

"We have to hurry," Kaleena muttered in order to avoid drawing the attention of the beast.

Obi-Wan looked to his still young daughter. She had much to learn. "Patience, young one." His voice was calming, but it still irritated her. "You flank the dragon from behind. I'll distract it."

"How?" she asked. "By being monster bait? You may be a Jedi, but I doubt you're as fast as you used to be."

He was unamused. Why was he always stuck with the sarcastic padawans? Did he truly terrorize Qui-Gon that much as a padawan? Sure, he still held quite a bit of his witty nature, but his daughter was verging into Anakin territory. Ahsoka had been just as bad. "Would you just-"

"Yeah, I've got it." Kaleena back away from the ledge as slowly as she could allow herself. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he went around the opposite way, to get in front of the cave where the boys were. He knew the moment they drew close that one of the boys was none other than Anakin Skywalker's son, Luke. The blond hair matched the sand it rested on. It didn't help that Luke had almost the same haircut Anakin had when he had lived on Tatooine. When Obi-Wan took Anakin as his padawan, they immediately went away with that particular hairstyle.

Once he was positioned above the cave, the krayt dragon had finished feasting on the dewback and was sniffing the air. Obi stood and jumped from his perch, using the Force to cushion his fall as he landed, ready to face the dragon. The dragon cried, shaking the sand around it. But Obi-Wan stood his ground, unafraid of the monster in front of him. He had faith in his daughter.

The krayt dragon started forward, hurtling itself towards the older Jedi. Barely a moment later, Kaleena Force jumped from a ledge onto the dragon's back, igniting her lightsaber as she flew through the air. With one swift swing, the monster's head detached from its body, hitting the ground with a thud. The youngling leaped from the dragon as it went down hard. Kaleena settled softly next to her kill.

A proud smile graced Obi-Wan's features before the boys behind him began to stir. Kaleena ducked under one of the large legs of the dragon to not be seen. She could hear the sore, tired groans of the two boys.

"What-who-?" one of the voices attempted to ask.

Obi-Wan knelt next to young Luke. "Are you boys alright?" he gently inquired. Luke nodded, but the other boy, Luke's friend Windy, stared at the dead krayt dragon with wide eyes. "Don't worry, you're safe now. Let's get you two home. Come on." He helped the two up and began to lead them away from the beast, careful not to bring them around to where his daughter would be seen. The fewer people who knew about her, the safer she'd be. He tossed a glance back at her hiding spot to see her peeking out from behind a dragon leg. Obi gave her a nod as mild praise and expected to see her back home after he brought the two young boys to the homestead of Owen and Beru Lars.

But Kaleena didn't leave the site right away. She turned to the dead krayt dragon and gripped her lightsaber. Clenching her jaw, she ignited her saber and sliced open the monster. Blood and guts spilled out, filling the immediate surroundings with a metallic scent. Quickly locating the gizzard, she cut it open as well. She found what she was looking for. In her hands, Kaleena gripped white and blue krayt dragon pearls.


	5. Contention

4 BBY

For three years, the krayt dragon pearls stayed hidden in the cellar, untouched and unused. They could be sold for hundreds of thousands of credits each to the right bidder, but instead, Kaleena hid them away, occasionally only bringing them out to stare at them. According to Tusken Raider culture, having one meant you were a great warrior and it was grounds for respect, if not idolization. She slew a krayt dragon at age thirteen. And what was she allotted in return? Slightly more freedom. Don't be gone for too long. Don't go too far. Go to town and then come right back.

Kaleena was kept on a short leash. Sure, she was at least allowed to leave the hut alone without her father, but it wasn't much different. Not much had actually changed. The bartenders, shopkeepers, and pilots in the nearby towns grew to know her as a wandering child who would show up then disappear shortly after.

She was truly biding her time.

As each day passed, Kaleena's resentment over her situation grew. She was stuck on a dustball of a planet with nothing to do other than people watch and train to be a Jedi. Even the Jedi way was eating her apart. Her father was trying his best to keep her occupied and learning about the old ways, but she couldn't take it. Either Obi-Wan was overbearing and overly critical or not present enough. He never listened to his daughter's pleas to do something meaningful with her time or even move on and practice more advanced things. "Becoming a Jedi is hard and takes time and patience," he had said. He still treated her like a child, no matter how much she had progressed throughout her years of training.

At age sixteen, she had mastered two forms of lightsaber combat, was advanced in another, and widely practiced another two, while still being proficient and knowing the basics of the last two. She only practiced form VII in the cellar or in the canyons when she went out. She knew her father wouldn't like knowing that she secretly enjoyed the feeling of Juyo and Vapaad as it was considered the most volatile of the lightsaber forms. It made her feel powerful. It made her feel like she was doing something right.

Ataru and Shien were fun, Soresu was incredibly useful and made her father proud, and Shii-Cho was the basis for all lightsaber combat, but Juyo and Vapaad felt like they added a missing piece of Kaleena's life. Form VII provided a form of excitement, of thrill. It allowed her to channel her frustrations and anger into a flurry of motions that wouldn't hurt anyone but herself and an unlucky opponent.

It was once she came to terms with that, that Kaleena realized she had to leave. For her sanity. She had to leave Tatooine. She had to escape the sand trap and forge her own path. And she knew exactly how she could manage it. They had been sitting in her room for three years. But her father and Tatooine were the only things she knew. Kaleena was scared.

Over the course of a few days, the young Jedi gathered minor supplies into a backpack. Dried food, bandages, an extra change of clothes. She removed the krayt dragon pearls from their tin under her bed. After putting them in her backpack, Kaleena stared at the other thing present in the metal container: the bracelet she made with all the kyber crystals her father gave her. She couldn't make herself take them all. She removed a green one from it and set it on her nightstand before placing the bracelet on the bed.

Kaleena tightened her belt and the leg straps and put the crystal bracelet in the pouch on her thigh. She hid her lightsaber in the backpack along with a holocron that stored lessons on each of the lightsaber forms. She braided her hair and wrapped herself tightly in her tan jacket. Then she laced her boots over her pants. After making sure her old practice lightsaber was set next to the lone kyber crystal, Kaleena shouldered her backpack and left the cellar.

At the sound of the cellar door opening, Obi-Wan looked up from the table. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern. "Where are you going?" he asked.

The cellar door slammed loudly as Kaleena simply let it fall shut behind her. She stood her ground, standing tall as her father rose from his seat. She had to do this. "I'm leaving," she said, her voice mildly shaking.

"What?" Obi-Wan questioned, not exactly sure he heard his daughter correctly. "What do you mean, you're leaving?"

Kaleena took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Exactly what it means. I'm leaving Tatooine. Without you."

"You can't simply leave," he argued, his eyes and voice growing stern. "You aren't done with your training."

She shook her head, knowing he would say something like that. "It's always about the training. But it isn't really, is it?" Anger flared in her dark eyes.

"I don't-"

"Yes, you do!" she cut off, pointing at her father. "You do understand. You never let me in. You never tell me anything. If you would like to change that go ahead!" Kaleena waved her hands roughly at their surroundings. "Why are we on Tatooine? Really? This is truly one of the worst planets to hide on to not be hunted down. Unless that's not why we're here." She gave her father a moment to defend his actions, but he couldn't. Obi-Wan couldn't face the truth. And that was always his problem. He loved and believed with all his heart, but he could never shy away from trying to protect others, even when they should know the truth.

Kaleena scoffed, not surprised that her father would stay silent. "I'm leaving." This time, her voice was filled with a renewed strength. "You can't make me stay." She trudged past him, towards the door to the dwelling.

"You're just like your mother, wanting to leave when times got hard." His voice was both sad and angry, but the anger was pointed at himself. Obi-Wan turned to look at his daughter with pleading eyes. "You aren't ready to go out on your own. The world is harsh and cruel."

"I've lived on Tatooine forever, I think I get the gist." Kaleena's hand rested on the button to open the door, but she didn't press it as Obi-Wan spoke once more.

"No. Some places are far worse, especially with the Empire."

The young Jedi whipped around one last time. "At least with the Empire there's order." She said it, but she didn't actually believe it whole-heartedly. She was angry, and she knew what to say to make it hurt. "Yeah, they've down terrible things, but was the Republic much better? The Jedi: peacekeeping generals?" Her laugh was empty. "How hypocritical. Sure, there was little to no slavery, but the bureaucrats have been kept in line. No surprise invasions from the Trade Federation have occurred. Also, you can't forget that the Sith literally flourished under your noses."

Kaleena pressed the button to open the door but realized she had another thing to say. "Oh, and by the way, the code is bantha fodder. Emotions are what make us sentient, fear can be useful in survival, and love is good motivation. Even you in your holy righteousness broke the love rule. So, I'll be seeing you, Master." The door closed behind her as Kaleena walked into the sandy unknown. Obi-Wan watched through the window, unable to choose his daughter over his duty.

Kaleena made her way to the nearest settlement as quickly as she could with nightfall approaching. After years of spending time in the town, if it could be called that, she went directly to the one person she knew she could sell a krayt dragon pearl to. Ancorhead was mildly small, but it had a decent market and black market. She made her way to the back of the market, close to one of the alleys, to the one stall that could barely be seen.

A Nimbanel by the name of Braln Moselleb saw the young Jedi heading towards his stall with a determined look. " _Oh, look, the kid returns_ ," he said in Huttese mostly to himself, but his associate, a human, heard it as well and chuckled.

To survive on Tatooine, one of the languages you had to speak was Huttese. " _Hello_ , _Braln_ ," Kaleena greeted in the language of the Hutt's, leaning on the alien's stall. The Nimbanel looked at the human behind him and shooed him further away, knowing the girl's expression well.

" _You know, you should never walk so sternly towards my stall_ ," Braln pointed out. " _People might think you're up to no good_."

Kaleena waved her hand, glancing around. " _I'm desperate and selling something you might be interested in_."

That drew Braln's undivided attention. He was always interested in valuables that he could pawn off at a higher price than he got it for. " _What are you offering, little lady_?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. She pulled off her backpack and held it in front of her, protecting it's inside from prying eyes. Kaleena slowly drew the fist-sized white krayt dragon pearl from one of the side pockets, careful to make sure Braln was the only one who'd be able to see it. The dealer's eyes widened at the sight. " _A white one? The only thing rarer is a red one_."

"Do you want it or not?" Kaleena asked, inadvertently switching back to Basic.

Braln held out his hand, but Kaleena glared at him. Braln clicked a few times and shook his head in disappointment. " _I have to verify it's authenticity first_."

" _Not without assurance that I'll be paid_."

A light chuckle was heard from the alien. " _You've spent too much time at this stall_." Nevertheless, Braln pulled out a case and set it on the surface in front of him. He clicked it open a partial amount, enough for Kaleena to see it was filled with spice. Kaleena set a hand on the case handle and handed the pearl to Braln with the other. He held it gingerly since it was rare for anyone to come across them. He scanned it to garner its molecular makeup and found that the young girl was telling the truth. " _Out of curiosity, how did you come across this?_ "

" _I found it_ ," she said quickly.

Braln didn't believe her, but also didn't think she killed an actual krayt dragon, so he dropped the topic. He thought she probably looted a dead dragon. Tusken Raiders only ever take one pearl since that's all they need as proof they've killed one. They don't sell them. " _I'll give you fifty-thousand credits_."

Kaleena rolled her eyes. " _I know it's easily worth more than that_."

" _You said you're desperate_." Kaleena didn't budge, continuing to stare down the dealer. " _You can't blame me for trying_. _Fine, seventy-five_."

The girl considered the offer. " _Throw in two blasters, decent ones, and the pearl is yours_."

Braln grinned. " _I knew I liked you_." He handed her back the pearl and put the case of spice back under the table. " _Let me get the credits and blasters_." Kaleena slipped the pearl under her jacket as Braln turned and gestured for his associate to come forward to watch the stall.

Soon enough, both Kaleena and Braln walked away happy.


	6. Pirates

4 BBY

The planet was vastly different from Tatooine in every way except the main inhabitants. It was tropical, with lush blues and greens. There were mountains, valleys, and swamps. No deserts. Rishi was everything Kaleena could have hoped for when it came to getting away from Tatooine. To be fair, that criteria had one thing, to go anywhere other than the dustball. The smuggler she met in Mos Eisley was glad to have her aboard his ship with a fee of three thousand credits and a helping hand to unload whatever he was bringing to Rishi. She didn't ask.

Kaleena spent a few days exploring Sky Ridge Island, but she mostly dwelled around South Ridge Beach. The water was soothing. Just looking at it was a nice change to sand-filled winds. The sand on the beach felt different than Tatooine sand. The sand covering almost every inch of Tatooine was coarse and rough, while the beach sand on Rishi was soft and cool. Regardless, it got everywhere.

A restless spirit, Kaleena quickly grew bored on the beautiful planet. One of the reasons she left home, was because she lacked excitement. She was now on a planet covered in pirates and gunrunners and was bored.

She took the time one day to walk through one of the many markets and actually pay attention to what people were saying and doing. Most of them were uninteresting. But she saw one at the end of the line struggling to carry a crate. Kaleena rushed over and helped the Weequay male set the crate on top of another.

"Ah, thank you!" the Weequay praised. "I was afraid I'd drop it, but I guess not!" Kaleena immediately regretted getting involved. The man seemed overly friendly and excitable, much more than Kaleena was used to on Tatooine. "You seem too young to be on Rishi." She didn't reply, just looked at him as he analyzed her. "A runaway, of course." Kaleena was taken aback and took a step away. "Oh, no, no, don't worry. I know a runaway when I see one. I was one myself, once upon a time." The lively alien waved his hands around and put them on his waist. "Tell me, tell me, what is your name?"

Kaleena resisted the urge to groan and sigh. "Cat," she said quickly. It was the first thing she could think of.

The alien pirate laughed loudly. She didn't understand what was so funny. "I know you're lying, but it's alright. Maybe you can help me out. I am Hondo Ohnaka." He gestured to himself and bowed. Kaleena immediately knew he had an incredibly high opinion of himself.

But she didn't see the harm in hearing him out. "I'm listening." Kaleena folded her arms over her chest.

The pirate Hondo wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer and making them face the rest of the market. "Listen, I love kids. Kids are great. I love charity. I love helping, so here's my offer. You help me out with a job, I take you wherever you want to go. I hear Takodana is beautiful this time of year. And you there's no shortage of work there."

"Illegal work," Kaleena pointed out. She'd heard pilots on Tatooine talk about Takodana. It was a hub of mercenaries and smugglers. They also liked to talk about Nal Hutta, Nar Shada, Rishi, Kessel, Corellia, and Florrum.

"Work is work, but sometimes it's fun!" Hondo clapped her on her shoulder, still looking out at all the markets. "I guarantee that no one on this strip will give you a better offer."

The young girl paused a moment. "I don't know, the Zabrak down there was paying more than enough to get me off-planet, plus some."

Hondo scoffed. "The Zabrak? I've never met a trustworthy Zabrak. I was attacked by brothers once! Nasty business. I barely escaped with my life." He's dramatic, that's for sure. "Some of my friends weren't so lucky." She also didn't like the way he said "friends." Associates or employees may have been a better term. "Now, come on, what you do say? Will you join me for an adventure?"

"What's the job?" she asked.

Hondo smiled. "I knew you'd come around. Do you know how to fight?"

Kaleena looked at the pirate dead on. "I beg your pardon?"

He simply smiled wider. "Help me get these crates on my ship."

The distance to the ship wasn't far. Kaleena and Hondo had no issues getting the crates onboard once they were on an anti-gravity platform. Once stored, Kaleena followed Hondo to the bridge, finding a male Devaronian sitting in the pilot's seat and guard droids standing in the corner.

"About time," the Devaronian said as he turned in his chair. "I was wondering-" He cut himself off as he saw the girl. "Who is this? We had a deal. Fifty-fifty. At no point did I say I was going to run an orphanage."

"Vizago, it's all right," Hondo reassured. "She's going to help us and we're going to drop her off somewhere. No credits involved." It's not like she needed the credits. She had over fifty-thousand lining every nook and crevice of her backpack, jacket, pants, boots, and belt harness. If you could hide something there, there were probably credits. "Cat, Vizago. Vizago, Cat."

The Devaronian grunted but started up the ship anyway. Kaleena quickly realized that Hondo was lying about it being his ship. She also couldn't think of a reason as to why it would have mattered. Until about an hour or two into the trip. Kaleena was keeping to herself, meditating while Hondo talked. He was talking to her and Vizago, but neither were listening, so he was mostly reminiscing a story to himself. Then everything happened so fast. Hondo attacked Vizago as the Devaronian got up from his chair.

For a moment, Kaleena was stunned into not moving. This is not what she expected. She was under the impression it was just a smuggling run or something along those lines, not Hondo committing mutiny. But as the droid guards closed in to attack Hondo, she realized she couldn't sit and do nothing. She got herself into this mess. She had to stick it out until she was done with Hondo. Vizago would probably throw her out the airlock.

Kaleena stood from her seat and kicked the closest droid with all her might as Hondo struggled with Vizago and the ship came out of hyperspace. It stumbled backward, crashing into the second one long enough for the girl to separate the Devaronian from the Weequay. Hondo stood with pride next to the young girl, but Kaleena couldn't see what he was happy about. The droids weren't disabled in the slightest and Vizago was just pissed. Then Hondo held up a controller. The controller to disable the droids. Vizago saw his predicament and hurried towards the dashboard of the ship, pressing as many buttons as he could before the droids grabbed Vizago and brought him to a cell in the ship's brig.

The young Jedi could hardly fathom what she had become a part of. She sat, stunned and unsure of how to proceed. She just helped someone hijack a ship. Someone she didn't even know. A few minutes later, Hondo joined Kaleena on the bridge again, putting the controller on his belt. "Aha!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. "I knew you were special! Fantastic. All in good time. I'll get you to the planet of your choice soon." Kaleena didn't reply. "Oh, your first is always difficult. Is it right? Is it wrong? Who cares?" She looked up from the floor to the Weequay. "The galaxy isn't sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions to survive. Come, come, we must get this ship working again."

She rolled her eyes at the flamboyant Weequay but got up anyway. Hondo and Vizago slamming into the controls hadn't helped the ship in the slightest. While letting the Force guide her when rewiring the control panel, Kaleena realized Vizago had turned on a distress signal. She quickly turned it off but secretly hoped someone had received it.

Her prayers were answered, but not by who she would have thought. As a ship docked, Kaleena could feel only one lifeform, a young lifeform.


	7. Brothers (and Sister) of the Broken Horn

4 BBY

Kaleena sensed no ill will from the single lifeform that boarded the ship, so she continued to work on the dashboard with Hondo as music played in the background. She had to admit that Hondo's taste in music wasn't bad.

After a few moments, the door to the cockpit opened. "Vizago?" Kaleena heard as the door closed. "Viz-Vizago, is that you?"

"Not exactly," Hondo replied as he climbed out from underneath the dashboard. Kaleena didn't care to move, but she did glance at the newcomer, no older than fifteen, who pointed a strange looking blaster at the Weequay. "Well, hello there." Hondo pressed a button to turn off the music. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hondo Ohnaka, proud owner of this fine but currently inoperable vessel." He bowed and walked closer to the kid. _Yeah, owner_.

"Where's Vizago?" the kid asked. Since he was still pointing the blaster at Hondo, Kaleena felt the need to at least sit up. "This is his ship."

Kaleena watched the exchange with intrigue since the kid was not letting up on his caution. The helmet he wore seemed a little big and the blaster, while definitely a blaster, felt weird. She could sense the Force around it, like her lightsaber.

"Ah! You know Vizago? Well then, we have a mutual friend!" Kaleena would never call the two friends, especially after the day they had. "Yes, i-it was his ship, but we were enjoying a friendly game of sabaac and, well, now it is my ship." Kaleena resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Hondo's words, but the kid was definitely surprised at the thought of the Devaronian betting his ship.

The kid lowered his blaster. "Vizago bet his ship?" he clarified.

"Right after his droids, which are now also mine." Hondo pulled out the droid controller with happiness. "Watch. I turn them on." The droids came to life. The kid had decent reflexes as he pointed his blaster at the closest droid. "I turn them off." They deactivated once more.

"Y-yeah, I guess that could happen," the kid conceded, glancing between Kaleena and Hondo as he clipped his weapon to his belt.

"You know about me, but who are you?"

The kid pulled off his helmet and held it. "I'm Lando Calrissian."

The moment the name came out, Kaleena actually rolled her eyes. She'd heard plenty of pilots and pirates talk about the infamous scoundrel. While young, he was known to be incredibly charming and flamboyant and known for wearing a cape. With all that information popping into Kaleena's memory, she didn't understand how Hondo Ohnaka, obviously a veteran pirate, believed the boy.

"Lando?" Hondo draped his arm around the kid's shoulders like he had done to Kaleena on Rishi. "So at last I meet the semi-famous Lando Calrissian!" He brought him over to the dashboard. "A tad younger than I pictured, but to be so young and flying to my rescue proves that you must be the scoundrel I have heard of." Hondo patted the kid on the back.

"Yeah, I mean I am pretty good." The fake Lando then looked at Kaleena, who still sat on the ground. "And you are?"

"Cat," Kaleena clipped, returning to working on getting the ship operational once more.

An uncomfortable silence spread between the three as "Lando" was unsure of how to respond. Hondo fixed it. Laughing awkwardly, he said, "Are you looking for a crew? You know, Hondo is hiring."

"Uh, I already have a crew," the kid replied. "Speaking of, where'd my droid go?"

"Oh, you lost your droid. I lost my crew, thanks to the Empire." Hondo sighed. "I once was a captain, you know. Oh, the stories I could tell. So many of them true." Kaleena paused at his words, and thought, _What? Shouldn't they all be true?_

The dashboard started beeping at something that Kaleena didn't do. Kaleena immediately sensed trouble and stood as quickly as she could. Out of the windshield, an Imperial cruiser was approaching. "Blast," she muttered.

"Uh, yeah, you wanna tell a story?" the kid asked, turning off the alarm, gently moving Kaleena out of the way, and crawling under the dash. "Tell a story to the Empire while I get the power back on." He went to work quickly, obviously knowing more about mechanics and electrical wires than Kaleena.

Hondo pressed the comm button. "Hello?" he answered. "How can we help you?"

"Attention transport," the Imperial lackey began, "you have breached an Imperial checkpoint."

"Hyperspace would be good," Hondo told "Lando".

Kaleena stumbled and gripped a chair as the cruiser opened fire on the transport. The kid got up. "I think I got it," he said. A droid them entered the cockpit, waving two grasping arms and beeping loudly. The droid went directly to the main access terminal.

"Well, Lando, it looks like we are on an adventure," Hondo exclaimed as the ship entered hyperspace. Kaleena relaxed in one of the chairs as Hondo sat in the pilot chair. "It is as if we are in each other's heads. The three of us only just met and we already make a remarkable team." Hondo leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head and propping his feet up.

The kid looked at Kaleena, with a confused and weirded out expression, silently as if Hondo was completely out of his mind. Kaleena just shook her head and shrugged. Like she really knew anything about the Weequay.

"Yeah, but we're not." Fake Lando gripped his helmet in his hands and put it on as Hondo jumped from his seat.

"Not yet, perhaps." The kid started towards the door, ready to leave the ship and the crazy Weequay. "You know, I could use you for a job. A little trade, that is all." Fake Lando, glanced at me and pointed. "Hired muscle." Hondo sucked in a sharp breath. "I am an old man. I just need help pushing a few crates."

The kid folded his arms across his chest. "Crates of what?" he asked. His droid answered for Hondo. A hologram image of the crates and their contents, which Kaleena hadn't originally known about. "Woah, woah, power generators? That's what you're smuggling. These are pretty hard to get these days, old man. Expensive, too."

Hondo nodded."You're right, which is why we will sell them at a fair markup. Five hundred percent." Kaleena's eyebrows shot up, but Hondo didn't see. Since when does five hundred percent count as a fair mark up?

Fake Lando considered his request for aid. "Okay, I'll help you. You give me my cut in power generators. Three crates." He held his hand up with the number to accentuate his stance.

"Alright. Two crates and you have a deal."

"Two." The kid paused but went with it. "And we split the profit of the third."

The two shook hands as Hondo said, "Deal." He laughed at the exchange and wrapped his arm around the kid. "The way you strike a bargain, you remind me of a great pirate I know." Kaleena barely noticed the boy swipe the remote from Hondo's belt. He definitely had practice. "Me! Ha! Now, let's go split up the merchandise."

As Hondo exited the cockpit, Kaleena used the Force, discreetly, to shut the door behind the Weequay as she grabbed the kid's orange collar, holding him back. "Listen, I don't know you, but I'm assuming you gave Hondo a fake name since you don't trust him," she said quickly. He was about to reply, but she held up her hand. "You shouldn't. I've barely known him for a few hours and I'm already trying to leave as quickly as I can. You'll probably understand why soon. Give the remote to your droid so Hondo doesn't notice you have it."

"How did you-?" he tried to ask, but Kaleena wasn't in the mood for stupid questions.

"I've heard plenty of stories about the infamous Lando Calrissian to know you aren't him, and I saw you grab the controller. Most people wouldn't have noticed, so don't worry about your skills." Kaleena let him go and looked at his bright blue eyes. She held out her hand as a peace offering. "I'm Kaleena."

The boy gingerly took her hand and shook it. "Ezra. This is Chopper." He gestured to the droid as he gave it the droid controller. "How did you get caught up with Hondo?"

Kaleena shook her head. "That's a story for another time. You should probably catch up with him so he doesn't suspect something's wrong."

With a sharp nod, Ezra left the cockpit with Chopper trailing behind, leaving Kaleena in silence. She ended up glaring at her backpack to pass the time, contemplating why Ezra's blaster had a Force signature before the three returned. Ezra was still awkward and Hondo was still annoying. Soon the ship came out of hyperspace. Ezra, Chopper, and Kaleena went to unload the crates.

"Hey, stay here unless there's any kind of trouble," Ezra said.

Kaleena looked at him. "You better be talking to the droid," she told him blandly.

"Actually, I was talking to both of you," he replied. At the sight of her frustrated expression, he began stumbling over his words. "What I mean is-I just have-it's not personal, I swear." Ezra sighed. "I've got experience dealing with these types of situations, and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

While the sentiment was nice, Kaleena was tired of being pushed to the side. "Thanks, but I can take care of myself." The girl pushed the crates forward, catching up with Hondo, leaving Ezra and Chopper.

"Hurry it up, Lando!" Hondo called to the boy. "We're on a schedule!"

Ezra caught up to the two with Chopper staying behind. The three passed through the halls, watching as aliens and humans passed by. "So, who is the buyer, anyway?" Ezra asked the Weequay. His question was answered as they passed through a doorway into the hangar. The door closed behind the trio.

A big, orange Jablogian sat on top of a floating chair with two guards stationed behind him. He was angry as he hopped down, holding a small crate of credits. "Alright, where's Vizago?" he demanded from the three.

"Azmorigan," Kaleena heard Ezra mutter as he closed the blaster shield of his helmet. He didn't sound particularly pleased either, so Kaleena was immediately on edge.

"Ah, Vizago is indisposed, so to speak," Hondo answered easily, resting one of his hands on his belt. "Granting me the privilege of conducting business with you, oh, legendary one." He was good at kissing up to people and flattering their egos. The three continued forward, Ezra and Kaleena stopping the crates a short distance from the Jablogian. "Hondo Ohnaka, at your service."

Azmorigan began laughing. "Is this a joke? I don't deal with washed up, old relics."

"Come now, let's leave your wife out of this." Kaleena had to bite her cheek to avoid laughing despite the tension in the room. "There's no need for such impropriety among thieves. I am certain we can reach an accord."

"I'm certain we can, hmm." Without an order, guards pointed their blasters at the trio from all nooks and crannies of the hangar bay. Kaleena, Ezra, and Hondo raised their hands immediately. The girl was regretting not staying at the ship.

"That was easy," Hondo murmured. Kaleena couldn't tell if he was still optimistic or being sarcastic.

Ezra was definitely being sarcastic. "Nice going, partner," he stated, quickly pressing his comlink. "Looks like you got us captured. It would be nice if we had some backup." If Kaleena hadn't seen him turn on his comm, she'd think he was insane.

The three were cuffed and forced at gunpoint onto a now empty anti-gravity platform next to a shoot which led directly to the far side of the hangar. It was going to shoot them into space.

"Just a thought," Hondo started, "but why don't we just call it even and go through with the original deal. Sounds good, yes?"

The Jablogian laughed maniacally. "I appreciate your offer, humbly, but I don't think you're going to be around to collect." He gestured to one of his guards who pressed a button, opening the hangar bay doors and starting up the loading dolly.

Hondo finally understood he couldn't talk his way out of this. His voice grew grave and slow. "Azmorigan, take the fruits of our labor if you must. That I understand, but this? Is it necessary?"

"Oh, yes." Azmorigan hugged his credits closely. "You see, the Rang Clan has a nice bounty on your head. I'll collect these generators and then collect an additional profit from your death." He laughed more.

"Your business plan is impressive," Hondo conceded, sounding disappointed.

"Of course it is. It's mine." He jabbed roughly towards himself. Azmorigan might have a greater ego than Hondo, which is saying something. The Jablogian then turned to the two kids, who sat in silence, bot devising a way to get out. "Who is this?" He pointed at Ezra, still wearing his helmet. One of the guards took it off, revealing his face. "Hey, hey, I know you from somewhere. Calrissian's farm on Lothal!"

Hondo, at the one time he shouldn't have spoken, decided to speak. "Well, of course, you know him. This is my long time friend, Lando Calrissian."

Ezra simply continued trying to hide his face, hoping Azmorigan wouldn't recognize him. But he did. "What? No. He's not Calrissian."

The Weequay slowly turned his head to the boy. "You lied to me?" While he originally sounded hurt, it quickly flipped like a switch. "I knew I liked you!"

Kaleena looked at him incredulously. "That's what you get out of this? As we're about to be shot into space?"

Hondo didn't get the chance to reply as Azmorigan began speaking to himself and readying the loading dolly. "You robbed me. Oh, I will enjoy this. I get to collect on Ohnaka. I get to kill you. I get rid of an associate so there's no revenge. And I get to keep the five generators. All of them. Five crates of-" Azmorigan realized that there were only four crates. "W-w-w-wait, there are only four crates here." He stepped close to Hondo, as close as he could, trying to be threatening. "You were supposed to bring me five!"

The Weequay offered a smug grin. "Well, the droid had the fifth crate."

"Droid?" The main door opened, revealing a speeding Chopper and the last crate. "Blast him!" The droids began to open fire on the orange droid. Some of the guards were shoved aside by the flying crate, courtesy of Chopper, while two more were kicked down by Kaleena and Ezra, who both jumped into the fray, taking advantage of the chaos.

Kaleena used the Force to undo her restraints as Hondo started up the dolly that now had two guards on it. Both were shot into space. Azmorigan regained his senses and began to shoot at the two humans, the Weequay, and the droid. "Die, you pirate scum!" the Jablogian exclaimed, shooting at them. They ducked behind the controls and one of the crates.

"Well, this is fun," Hondo pointed out. "What's the plan?"

"Uh, I don't know. Ask the droid."

Yes, because Kaleena is going to listen to a plan made by a droid. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"Lando, watch out!" Instead of ducking at Hondo's warning, Ezra jumped from his spot, bringing his hands under his legs. It was perfect timing. The blaster bolt broke his own cuffs, the force of it throwing him back, but he landed on his feet.

"Hey, get my blaster," Ezra called to Chopper, who was parked behind the guard. Chopper stunned him and grabbed the blaster from the guard's belt. "Toss it over here!" Chopper swerved to avoid blaster bolts. The droid threw it to him. Ezra caught it with ease, shooting Hondo's own restraints to free him. He started shooting at Azmorigan as Kaleena ducked out from behind the barrier and threw one of the guards to the ground, knocking him out.

She was occupied up until seeing something barrel towards Hondo and Ezra. Hondo pushed Ezra out of the way, both flying in opposite directions. Hondo landed on a platform that sat on top of the loading dolly. Chopper took care of the Azmorigan problem, shooting at him with two blasters. Kaleena hurried over to Hondo, trying to make it there before the now sparking control panel shot the platform forward.

Kaleena was too late. The dolly shot forward quickly. For a moment, Kaleena was stunned, unsure of what to do. She realized quickly and reached out with the Force after the crate of credits landed in Hondo's lap, not noticing Ezra do the same thing. Both could feel the other's Force signature wrap around the pirate, keeping him safely in the ship hangar. Together, the two Force users set Hondo on the floor with the credit box gripped tightly in his hands.

Azmorigan was able to escape on his ship while they were occupied.

"Very good," Hondo said. "My friends, you might not be Calrissian, but I know one thing you are. You two are Jedi."


	8. Meeting the Ghost Crew

4 BBY

The four gathered all the crates of power generators. Before leaving the ship hangar, Hondo turned to the two kids. "Why didn't you tell me you were Jedi?" the pirate asked. "You know, I am an old Jedi sympathizer."

"You are?" Kaleena asked, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"I know," he said. "I wouldn't believe me either. But one of my best friend's was a Jedi. I'm pretty sure we were friends."

Kaleena's head tilted to the side. "What was their name?"

Hondo chuckled lightly. "Kenobi," he revealed. "We had a lot of fun together, fighting together." Kaleena's jaw clenched at her father's name. "You kinda look like him, if I'm being honest."

She didn't know how to react. Ezra picked up on her discomfort and cut in. "Anyway, I don't know about her, but I'm not really a Jedi yet," he told Hondo.

"Well, then be a pirate Jedi!" Hondo seemed super excited at the idea, breathing in sharply, but Ezra wasn't sure. "We would make an excellent team, but first, tell me, what is your name? Your real name."

The boy cleared his throat with a sheepish expression. "Ezra Bridger."

"Thank you, Ezra Bridger and Cat."

Kaleena held up her hand. "If we're being honest," she added, "my name's Kaleena, not Cat."

Hondo brought his hand to his chest with a small gasp. "I feel mildly betrayed by the both of you, but you two saved my life, so I will let it slide."

Ezra, Chopper, and Kaleena pushed the crates of generators back to the Broken Horn and stored them. While walking towards the cockpit, Hondo struck up a conversation with the budding Jedi. "You must have many responsibilities, yes?" Hondo asked Ezra. Kaleena trailed behind with Chopper, not really into the conversation about Ezra's life.

"Yeah, too many at the moment," Ezra answered, uncomfortable with the conversation and hoping to return to the Ghost as soon as possible. Hera was going to kill him and Chopper.

Hondo stopped walking and turned to the boy. "Well then, join my crew and I will split it right down the middle fifty-forty. You won't get a better deal than that, especially from me."

The math didn't add up. And it was definitely not straight down the middle. The two young Jedi and the droid were all mildly worried to varying degrees about Hondo's mental state. "Wait, that's only ninety percent. What about the other ten?" Ezra questioned.

"Oh, you want me to spend that on expenses, trust me." That made sense at least, but it still wasn't split evenly. It would be forty-five and forty-five with ten for expenses. Kaleena decided not to meddle since she was being dropped off somewhere anyway. She had no intention of becoming part of Hondo's pirate crew.

"Okay, how about zero percent for me," Ezra negotiated. "I want the generators. All of them."

"You have a deal, partner." Hondo pulled Ezra close, clapping him on the back and hugging him with a huge grin. "Ah! This makes me happy. You get the generators. I get you for my crew. This is good. Let us celebrate. Droid, droid, go to the galley. Get me the most expensive drink you can." Hondo paused, looking at the two kids. "And something for my friends."

"Uh, yeah, I think I'll go with him." Ezra gestured to Chopper.

Kaleena was not going to be left alone with Hondo. Not to mention, she really wanted to talk to Ezra. "Same," she said.

It didn't faze Hondo. "Of course. Don't forget yours."

Ezra, Kaleena, and Chopper walked in the opposite direction as Hondo. Once out of earshot, Ezra turned to Chopper and said, "I don't know what just happened. Di-did I just join his crew?"

"Yes." Kaleena's bluntness shook Ezra for a moment. "Thought you said you already had a crew?"

"I-I do," Ezra stuttered, still bothered by the previous interaction. "I don't want to leave them. I was just trying to get the power generators, not join a pirate crew. And why did he say me and him were splitting profits down the middle? Aren't you part of his crew?"

An incredulous laugh erupted from the girl. "Hell no. The deal was that I help him for one job, and he drops me off at the planet of my choice. There is no way that I'm joining him in a million years."

"He really is something." Ezra's voice was small and detached as he thought about the Weequay. "Where are you going, if you don't mind me asking?"

Kaleena glanced at the boy walking beside her. "I'm not sure yet. I've got a few places in mind."

"Have you thought about Garel?"

Kaleena stopped walking and fully turned her body towards Ezra. While unsure about her intentions, Ezra made himself relax at the sudden change. "Why do you ask?"

After a deep breath, Ezra started babbling. "You're trained in the Force. There aren't many Jedi left, and I think it's fair that we should all stick together, or at least form some sort of alliance. I know my master would probably be excited to know that there are others out there still. There's three of us that I know about. Now you and whoever trained you."

Kaleena crossed her arms in front of her and stared him down. "What's the real reason?"

He sighed. "Alright. Everything has just been weird and stressful lately, and I think having someone new would be a nice change of pace. It might also get Kanan off my back a little with the Jedi training."

"I'll think about it." It was as good as Ezra was going to get. The three continued through the ship. After a few moments, the three heard banging.

"Do you hear that?" Ezra asked. Kaleena already figured out what it was by the time the three passed through a doorway. She was part of the reason Vizago was in his own brig. "Vizago!"

"You?" Vizago said, watching Ezra closely. "What are you doing here?"

"I-wait, Hondo told me you lost your ship in a bet."

"Oh, and you believed that swindler?" Vizago's voice was filled with anger and frustration which he had every right to. Kaleena simply stood to the side and watched the interaction. "By the moons of Gozgo, you are hopelessly gullible."

"Hey, I'm not the one who got locked in his own brig," the boy pointed out.

Vizago got up and stood in front of the bars. "He disabled my droids. She helped him."

Ezra looked at Kaleena. "Seriously?"

Her unimpressed expression didn't change. "It wasn't what I signed on to do, but I took my chances between Hondo or Vizago. I went with whoever would be least likely to throw me out of the airlock."

The Devaronian shrugged, accepting her answer. It's what he would have done. "You need to get the droid controller from him and help me reclaim the _Horn_ ," Vizago demanded.

Chopper held out the remote to Ezra who took it. "One step down, but sorry, I've got other things to worry about," Ezra told him. Kaleena raised an eyebrow at him. She thought he would jump at the chance to set him free considering he originally responded to Vizago's distress signal.

"You owe me, remember?" Vizago countered. "I gave you information, and it saved your Jedi friend. I'm calling in that favor now."

Chopper beeped, drawing Ezra's attention and hesitation. "I know what I said earlier, Chop." Ezra turned back to Vizago. "Okay, I'll get you your ship, and then we're even."

Chopper unlocked the cell, freeing Vizago who strolled out calmly. "Fine with me."

"Chopper, get the generators on board the _Phantom_ ," Ezra ordered.

Vizago drew closer to Ezra. "My generators?"

Ezra mimicked the Devaronian, not buying his intimidation. "No, my generators. Now, come along and behave." He waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to follow him. Chopper split off to gather the power generators. The three went to the cockpit together. Hondo was sitting in the pilot's chair playing with some of the credits. "I think you two know each other."

Hondo spun around in the chair. "Partner, how could you let this dangerous criminal out of the brig?" Hondo asked, trying to save face.

"Save it, partner," Ezra drew out, sarcasm etching into his statement. He stood between the pirate and the crime lord, holding up his hands. "Let's all relax. I take the generators. You two split Azmorigan's credits. Everyone wins."

"That is a fair deal," Hondo said. "Hmm? And it disgusts me." Kaleena leaned against one of the chairs, not liking where this was going. It was going to end in a fight, and she knew it.

"For once, I agree," Vizago added, standing tall. He brought his hands in front of him and held up the droid controller. "Care to hear my counter-offer?"

Kaleena silently cursed as the two droids started up, a third entering the cockpit with a blaster rifle. Vizago hid behind them, to let his droids do all the work. Ezra ignited his lightsaber. Hondo brought out a blaster and shot the middle one in the head, which then landed on Vizago. Kaleena halted the droid closest to her with the Force and crushed it while Ezra struggled against the last droid.

The ship exited hyperspace. Hondo took the chance to escape in the chaos with his credits through the floor. "Keep the Jedi occupied!" Vizago ordered as more of his droids entered the cockpit. Ezra used the Force to unhook the droid controller from Vizago's belt was unable to focus as the droids marched towards him. Kaleena willed the remote over to her and disarmed the droids before Ezra had to use his saber.

Ezra slumped against one of the chairs and looked at Kaleena. "Thanks," he told her.

"It's no problem," she replied. Kaleena grabbed her backpack, slipping her arms through the straps as Ezra's comlink went off.

"What could have possibly gone wrong now?" he asked no one in particular. The two rushed passed the disabled droids. Together they hurried to the docking bay where Ezra literally ran into Vizago as the Phantom detached from the Broken Horn. Chopper turned to Ezra who looked up at Vizago sheepishly. "Well, looks like you get your ship back, as promised."

"Yes, but I lost all my credits and generators!"

Ezra shrugged. "Eh, technically, they were my generators."

Vizago glared at him before grabbing the back of his collar and dragging Ezra to the closest escape pod. Chopper climbed in after Ezra. Vizago then looked at Kaleena. "Escape pod or airlock?" he asked her. Kaleena ducked her head, quickly climbing into the escape pod as well. "Good choice."

Ezra waved with a small smile as Vizago closed the hatch and pressed the eject button. Ezra and Kaleena sat on the seats as the escape pod made the descent down to the nearest planet, Garel. "Not sure how we're gonna explain this," Ezra said off-handedly to Chopper who set the coordinates for the escape pod to land at. Chopper beeped a few times. "What do you mean you know where Hondo will be?" Chopper beeped and whistled again.

"What did he say?" Kaleena asked.

"The _Phantom_ was set to return to the _Ghost_."

The statement made no sense to Kaleena. "What?"

With a smile, Ezra explained. "The _Phantom_ , our ship, was just a detachable part. The main ship is the _Ghost_. Hondo is headed directly towards our crew." Kaleena snorted at the revelation. That will be a fun conversation for him. After the escape pod touched down on Garel, the three exited. "You can come with us if you want."

Gripping her backpack straps, Kaleena glanced between the boy and the droid. She had to admit it was kind of fun getting to know them even in the slightest. She sighed lightly. "I can't promise anything. I'll meet your crew and your master, but I can't swear that I'll stay."

"I guess that's better than nothing." He sounded dejected but still mildly hopeful. But for now, they had to get back to the _Ghost_.

The three made their way to the hangar bay that the _Ghost_ and crew were in. The ramp was down and the lights were on. As the three walked towards the ship and up the ramps, they heard Hondo telling a story. His back was to the young Jedi and the droid, but the rest of the _Ghost_ crew spotted them walking up the ramp right away.

"Then he let Vizago out! The villain was upon us, I'm telling you! But young Ezra, he stood tall in front of me and withstood a massive atta-" Hondo cut himself off at the sight of the kids. "My friends! I was just talking about you." He wrapped his arm around Ezra. "How you and I rescued the generators from the evil Vizago."

Ezra stepped away from the Weequay pirate and pointed accusingly at him. "Yeah, that's not true," Ezra argued. "You stole the generators and my ship."

"What an accusation! You wound me!" While his acting and dramatics were impressive, not a soul was buying it.

"Chopper had the _Phantom_ on autopilot."

"Well, that's another version of the story, I suppose." Hondo started to back away towards the ramp. "I'll tell you what. You can keep my generators. They are my gift to you." He walked down the ramp and Ezra followed him, telling him one last goodbye.

As he said goodbye, the tall brunet human male, Kanan Jarrus, turned to the young new girl. "How'd you get wrapped up in this mess?" he asked her, curious about the girl who he could sense was Force-sensitive.

"Hondo tricked me into hijacking Vizago's ship with him," she stated bluntly.

The Twi'lek captain, Hera Syndulla, made a sound of musing before turning to the former clone trooper. "Contact Commander Sato," she ordered. "Tell him Ezra Bridger found his generators." She looked down the ramp proudly at the young Jedi. The group dispersed, but Hera stayed next to Kaleena, watching Kanan walk down the ramp to talk to Ezra. "What did he promise you?"

"Ezra or Hondo?"

"Both, I guess," Hera clarified.

Kaleena hugged her jacket tight, used to the unending warmth of Tatooine. "Hondo got me off of Rishi. Said he'd drop me off wherever I wanted if I helped him with a job. Ezra, on the other hand, didn't promise anything. He wanted me to meet Kanan, who I'm assuming is the one talking to him?" Hera nodded in confirmation. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes or get in the way. I just mean to meet him and leave."

Hera looked sadly at the girl, at how lost and unsure she is. "Do you know where you wanna go?"

Kaleena ducked her head, looking at the floor of the _Ghost_. "No."

The Twi'lek offered her a gentle smile, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You're welcome here until you figure that out. It's the least we can do after you helped Ezra out."

"Thank you."

Kanan and Ezra joined the two ladies at the top of the ramp, all four happier than they were a few moments prior. "This is Kaleena," Ezra introduced to Kanan and Hera. "Kaleena, meet Kanan and Hera."

Kanan regarded the newcomer with a contemplating gaze. She looked familiar to him, but he couldn't pin it down. But what he did know was that she could use the Force. Ezra hadn't said anything to him, yet the only reason Ezra would be so keen for them to meet would be if she was like them. "You remind me of someone I once met," Kanan revealed to her honestly.

While she didn't exactly get along with her father, he was a part of her and always would be. She had to own it. "Master Kenobi," she said without hesitation.

Kanan's eyes widened, but he knew it to be true. She had his jaw, nose, and the same mole on the forehead. And she had his confidence. She walked like him. She talked like him. She was truly the daughter of Master Kenobi. "He's still alive?" Kanan asked. Kaleena nodded. "Is he in the fight?"

Kaleena's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What fight?"

"The fight against the Empire," Hera said. "The rebellion. Have you not heard about it?"

Kaleena shook her head. "No, I haven't. I've kinda been living under a rock."

"Well, if you'd like to join us, for at least a few days, there are some people you should meet," Kanan told her. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you about what you know about the Jedi Order. But not tonight. It's been a long day."


	9. Fulcrum and the Clone

4 BBY

Hera had shown Kaleena where she'd be staying during her time on the _Ghost_. Kaleena would bunk with Sabine Wren, their resident Mandalorian artist. The next morning, Kaleena sat amazed at the plethora of colors on the walls of the room. It was more than what she would see in the Tatooine sky at sunset, and it almost brought a tear to her eye. But she shook the thought of Tatooine out of her head and got off the bed. Kaleena put her jacket on and grabbed her backpack, not wanting to leave it behind anywhere.

The majority of the _Ghost_ crew was eating breakfast in the galley. Hera and Kanan were missing, but Ezra seemed happy when he spotted her, so she didn't feel completely out of place. The Lasat, however, was completely confused at the sight of the girl. "When did we get another kid?" he asked Sabine.

"Last night," the Mandalorian answered, taking another bite of food. "Came back with Ezra, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think we kept her," he replied.

Ezra shook his head in disappointment. "You know, she's standing right there." The Lasat was torn between being embarrassed and annoyed. "Zeb, Rex, this is Kaleena," Ezra introduced.

The old clone stood from his spot and held his hand out. "I'm Rex," he said. Kaleena shook his hand. "Kanan told me who your father is. He was a good friend of mine."

"You knew him?" Kaleena repeated.

The clone chuckled. "Knew him? I fought with him!" Rex was beaming with pride at knowing Obi-Wan. "He was one of the best Jedi I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. But I've got to say, it's a little, uh, shocking, to say the least, that he had a kid. General Skywalker always joked about General Kenobi's close relationship with the senator's handmaiden, but I never thought it went anywhere. Especially given how standard of a Jedi he was. The others seemed to idolize him."

"Your father is Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Sabine asked, surprised as well. "He was a close friend of the Duchess of Mandalore. Saved her life a few times, if I remember correctly."

"I didn't know that," Kaleena said quietly, taking the fruit that Ezra held out to her. She sat next to the boy, thinking about her father who was still on Tatooine.

The _Ghost_ crew glanced between each other, unsure of how to react to her now detached state. From what they knew about the Jedi from Kanan, Rex, and Ahsoka, they didn't think a Jedi and their kid would dislike each other based on how they're supposed to be compassionate, kind, and selfless. But Kaleena acted as though she never wanted to see her father again. Although she did, she didn't want it to be anytime soon or on Tatooine. She had to figure out herself first.

"Where are you from?" Sabine asked, trying to change the subject.

Kaleena broke off a piece of fruit and looked at the Mandalorian. "I was born on Coruscant. I probably shouldn't say where I was raised though. My dad has gone through great pains to keep his location a secret." All except changing his last name. Even Kaleena didn't walk around a Kenobi. She set down the fruit on the table, not really hungry. She then looked at Rex. "Did you know my mom? Her name was Cattleya."

Rex immediately grew awkward. His eyes widened a little, eyebrows rising. His eyes drifted to the wall, then he sighed. "I saw her a few times. Never really got to know her. Usually in passing. She was always quiet, standing behind Senator Amidala. Although, there isn't much a handmaiden for a senator can do in a war."

"Do you know how she died?" Kaleena's jaw clenched as she stared directly at the clone, ignoring the sad discomfort of the others. She had to know. Her father never told her, if he even talked about her late mother at all.

Rex held on to his cup of water tightly. He remembered clearly how stressed his general had been after that incident. "Doing her job. Protecting the senator." Kaleena nodded and continued picking at the fruit. Zeb and Sabine filled the silence with a casual conversation until Kanan and Hera walked into the galley. Hera immediately went to get food, while Kanan stayed by the entry. His eyes met Ezra and Kaleena.

Kanan gestured for the two to follow him. In the hall, he turned to the two young kids. "We're going on a trip," he told them. "Make sure you have everything you need."

"Everything I need is in here," Kaleena said, pointing to her backpack.

Kanan nodded at looked at Ezra. "Meet us in the _Phantom_." Ezra mock saluted before running off to grab his lightsaber and helmet. Kanan brought Kaleena to the _Phantom_ and started warming up the ship. She took off her backpack and set it on the floor by her feet before buckling herself into one of the seats. Ezra caught up quickly and the _Phantom_ detached from the _Ghost_.

"Where are we going?" Ezra asked, staring out the window after a little bit of flying. He was happy to actually do something other than blaster practice.

"A remote, mountainous part of Garel," Kanan replied. "We're meeting Ahsoka. I figured we should be away from the city."

It was Kaleena's turn to ask a question. "Who's Ahsoka?" She'd met more people in the past few days that she had in the past few years. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

"She's a Jedi, too," Ezra answered. "She's got these white lightsabers. It's so cool." Kaleena chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Speaking of lightsabers, do you have one? I only saw you use the Force." Kaleena nodded as she opened her backpack. Her hand wrapped around the rigid black grip and pulled it out. She hadn't actually held it since the day she left Tatooine, so it was almost a relief to have in her hand again. It called to her.

"I hope you're better at lightsaber combat than he is," Kanan said with a light laugh. Kaleena chuckled as well while Ezra looked offended. Kanan brought the _Phantom_ down outside of a cave on the side of a mountain. "Ahsoka should be here soon. Come on. I want to see what you know." Kaleena and Ezra followed the older Jedi out of the small ship, out onto the mountainside. It was flat where they landed, leading either off a cliff or into a cave. "I'm assuming you finished your training?"

"I wouldn't say that," Kaleena replied, pulling out her padawan braid from under her hair where it hid. The braid was wrapped tightly in the cord still.

Kanan didn't show any judgment. "I didn't finish my training. Neither did Ahsoka. Times are tough. You have to make do with what you can."

The young girl leaned against the side of the _Phantom_ as Kanan turned to face the horizon. "Why didn't you finish yours?" She could feel the tension flow through his body.

"My master, Depa Billaba, was killed by clones. She sacrificed herself so I could survive the slaughter." His voice was grave as he recalled that day, the day of Order 66. "Did Master Kenobi ever tell you about what happened?"

She pushed herself off the ship and walked over, standing beside Kanan. "A little bit. He told me he was betrayed by his own battalion. And that he was on Utapau at the time. He had just killed General Grievous. But he never said anything other than that. I knew not to press it."

Kanan smiled. "I always wondered what happened to that rust bucket." Another ship was spotted in the distance, flying low to avoid scanners. The three Jedi could see it well. Kanan recognized it as belonging to Fulcrum. "There she is." The new ship landed next to the _Phantom_. As the ramp lowered, a female Togruta exited the ship with two lightsabers clipped to her belt. Kanan nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Ahsoka. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice."

The Togruta was amused. "You didn't give me a lot to go on," she said. "Why did you want to meet way out here?"

"It's more private than the _Ghost_." Kanan gestured to Kaleena. "This is Kaleena. Kaleena, meet Ahsoka Tano."

Ahsoka froze in her tracks and eyed the girl up and down. She couldn't believe it. It was Cattleya's daughter. Standing in front of Ahsoka was the grown baby of one of her old friends from before she left the Order. Ahsoka could hardly breathe as she stared with wide, glassy eyes. It couldn't be.

"You can't be," Ahsoka whispered to herself. She slowly stepped forward, raising one of her hands to the young girl's face. It had to be. Kaleena isn't a common name. She had her mother's eyes and hair. Then her gaze dropped to the necklace that rested against her collarbone. The same crystal. Ahsoka choked back a sob and forced Kaleena into a hug, holding her as tight as possible, like she was going to lose her. "I can't believe it. You're here. You're alive."

Neither of the boys knew how to react. Ezra almost wanted to laugh to try and diffuse his awkwardness. Kanan simply didn't know what was going on. Ahsoka made it sound like she knew Kaleena, but the look on Kaleena's face was clear. The sixteen-year-old had no idea who the Togruta was.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Kaleena asked, detaching herself from Ahsoka.

A deep sadness clouded Ahsoka's eyes. "No, I guess not," she replied. "But I knew your mom. I met you after you were born. Cattleya liked to sing to you when you got fussy. When she was sleeping, Padmé would sing you the same song. It was some lullaby on Naboo or something. I actually remember when you were born. Granted, I wasn't actually there for it, that was Padmé, but anyway, it was right before the Chancellor got kidnapped. Master Kenobi had faked his death to stop the plot. My master was devasted. It was a hectic couple of days."

"You know who her father is, right?" Kanan asked, interrupting Ahsoka's excited babbling.

Ahsoka folded her arms. "I had my suspicions, but they hadn't been confirmed, why?" At the amused expression of Kanan, she gasped. "No! Really? Master Kenobi?" She looked at Kaleena who nodded. "I guess it isn't all that surprising. Even Anakin noticed how close they were." Ahsoka then noticed the lightsaber in Kaleena's hand. "Yours?" The Togruta held out her hand and Kaleena handed it to her. Ahsoka examined the lightsaber before holding it up and igniting it. The cyan blade brightly shown against the dreary Garel environment. "What have you learned?"

"All forms. Or at least their basics," Kaleena answered. Ahsoka switched off the blade and handed the saber back to Kaleena.

"Your mother would be proud. She was very kind and patient. Well, as patient as she could be, with Padmé running around." Kaleena chuckled at Ahsoka's words. "You think you can show Kanan how it's done? He's getting a little rusty," Ahsoka joked with a laugh. Kanan snorted and laughed as well. "What's your favorite?"

Kaleena glanced down at the saber in her hand. She didn't think they would approve, but she didn't want to lie. "Vapaad."

While shocked, Ahsoka tried not to show it. "You know, Master Windu created that form. He and Master Kenobi would often discuss its mechanics since it is so different from Soresu, which Obi-Wan preferred. But I suppose you already know that."

"I like that one, too. It's relaxing, fluid, reliable. Although, sometimes you need a more aggressive approach."

"Well said."


	10. Leaving the Ghost

4 BBY

For the few days that followed, Kaleena got to know Ahsoka and her role in the rebellion. She also heard plenty of stories regarding her parents. But she had to cut the time short. She couldn't stay with the Ghost forever. Well, she could, they'd probably let her, but the Force was telling her not to. It was almost telling her that she needed to stay as far away from the Ghost and her crew as Kaleena possibly could get, so she decided to go with Ahsoka who would take her off of Garel. Her and Ahsoka had already talked about it. Kaleena just needed to tell Ezra and the rest of his crew.

Ezra was outside practicing his lightsaber skills. Chopper was shooting a blaster at him. Kaleena had to admit it would be more effective for an unpredictable droid to shoot than a preprogrammed training droid like Kaleena had practiced with.

"Hey, Kal, watch this!" Ezra exclaimed upon seeing her. He then attempted to deflect the numerous incoming blasts from Chopper to hit helmets that were set up in the background. But one of the blasts hit him instead. "Ow!" Chopper beeped in a way that mimicked a laugh.

Kaleena smiled and shook her head at him. "You're trying too hard," she informed him. "You have to let the Force flow through you. Let it guide you. It's a constant part of you, not something that you call on to help occasionally." Ezra paused at her words before making himself relax and feel the Force around him and in him. "Stop seeing the Force as some separate entity. Let it fill your senses, your very being. It makes you stronger, faster, instinctive. Don't be afraid to use it. You should be able to use it without thinking about it, but you have to open yourself up to it."

The teachings that were passed down from her father were now passed on to Ezra. Kaleena no longer felt like she had been completely taking advantage of their hospitality as she saw her words have an effect on the younger Jedi.

After a few moments of sort of meditating, Ezra opened his eyes, his stance much more relaxed than it had been earlier. He nodded at Chopper, who started shooting the blaster once again. This time, Ezra deflected every shot and even hit multiple helmets with the blaster bolts but still not all. He sheathed his lightsaber with a huge grin, turning to Kaleena. "Thanks!" he told her.

His grin was infectious, but Kaleena still felt sad at the thought of leaving her new friend. She had to though. The longer she stayed, the more the sense of unease grew within her. "Do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Ezra was immediately awkward like he knew something was wrong.

The two young Jedi watched each other as Kaleena figured out what to say, but she wasn't good with words, leading her to simply blurt everything out. "I'm leaving with Ahsoka at sunset."

Ezra's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think she'd leave so soon, especially since he knew she was having a good time, that she was growing comfortable. "Wait, what, why?" He stumbled over his words.

Kaleena folded her arms over her chest. She was never exactly comfortable talking about her feelings. Probably something she grew accustomed to through Jedi training. It was something she and her dad had in common. "I told you I wasn't making any promises about staying."

The boy kicked the ground. "I know. I guess I just thought you'd be here longer."

"Look on the bright side, you know there's more Jedi out there." Kaleena shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, trying to brighten the mood a little. It worked. Ezra chuckled at her statement. "I know who to call if I get into trouble."

Ezra nodded and glanced at the sky. The sun would set soon. Leave it to a Jedi to wait until the last possible moment to leave. "Don't be a stranger." He held his hand out and Kaleena shook it. Kaleena gave him a slight nod of respect before walking back up the ramp and to the cockpit. Hera was inside, planning the next mission.

The Twi'lek looked up at the young girl as she walked in, the door shutting behind her. "Hey, what's up?" Hera asked, concerned at the look on Kaleena's face.

Kaleena twirled her fingers as she spoke. "I just wanted to say thanks for taking me in. Ahsoka's prepping her ship right now, and I'm going with her."

"I know." While abrupt, Hera was calm and understanding. "It's written all over, but you don't have to be ashamed of it, Kaleena." The young Jedi's head dipped down, causing Hera to rest a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing what you have to. Just know that if you ever need us, we'll be there."

Kaleena gave her a sheepish smile and nodded. "You have a nice family here. I have to find my own."

"Do you know where you're gonna go?" Hera asked.

Shaking her head, Kaleena answered aloud, "I still need to figure that out, but Ahsoka promised to take me personally, after telling me stories about my parents. That was a specific request from her. I think she has some funny stories that she really wants to share with someone who knows who she's talking about. And if she and Rex talk about them they'll probably just get sad."

Hera completely understood her meaning, nodding with a distant look like she had already seen it happen. "Well, I won't hold you. Take care of yourself."

"I will." With that, Kaleena walked out of the cockpit to find Kanan. He wasn't outside, and she didn't see him in the galley, so Kal knocked on his bedroom door.

The door slid open to reveal Kanan sitting in the center of the room, legs crossed with a holocron in front of him. Kanan gestured to the floor on the opposite side of the holocron. "Come in and sit." Kaleena, while slightly weirded out, closed the door and sat on the floor. "I wanted you to see something before you left. Open it."

Kaleena stared at the blue Jedi holocron sitting on the floor. She wanted to ask what was on it. She wanted to ask where he got it. She almost didn't want to open it. The Force was prodding her to do it anyway. She reached out with the Force, turning the pieces of the holocron and opening it.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." Kaleena's eyes snapped open at the sound of her father's voice. There he stood in a hologram above the opened holocron. "I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: trust in the Force. Do not return to the temple. That time has passed and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere, and in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."

The hologram flickered off and the holocron closed, leaving the room in silence. Her father's last message to the Jedi. Seeing him young, in his Jedi robes, and standing tall and strong was almost unbearable. It reminded her of the Jedi she had wanted to be as a kid. She didn't think she could make herself be that person anymore.

"I'm not going to pretend to know what happened between you and your father," Kanan began, looking and sounding sincere, "but I do know that Master Kenobi is one of the wisest and strongest Jedi I have ever met. And I don't mean in physical strength. Everyone respected him, even his enemies. If he has hope, I have hope. His words have helped me get this far and make a difference. Wherever you go, whatever you do, find your purpose. It may not all be alright, but you'll do good, kid."

"Thank you, Kanan."

"Be safe out there, Kaleena. It can be pretty difficult at times. Keep your head up." Kanan stood and held out his hand, helping Kaleena off the floor. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you."

"Oh, and one more thing." Kaleena paused at the door and looked back at Kanan. "You should cut your padawan braid. I think Ahsoka will agree. None of us are padawans anymore."

Kaleena smiled, nodded, and left the room. She met up with Ahsoka right as the sun was dipping below the horizon. She strapped herself in as Ahsoka lifted off, leaving the _Ghost_ crew behind on Garel.

After leaving the upper atmosphere, Ahsoka looked at the young girl sitting in the copilot seat. "Have you picked somewhere?" Ahsoka asked.

Kaleena stared out at the vastness of the stars and the darkness of space, fingering her padawan braid that hid under her hair. After seeing Kanan's holocron and her dad's message, she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

"Coruscant. Take me to Coruscant."


	11. The Black Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unsure of where the original comic for this takes place as it isn't blatantly stated, so I used Coruscant. If you've read it, pretend the whole thing only takes place in the city as Coruscant does not have any wildlife.

3 BBY

Fingers gripped the sides of a sink. The bathroom was nice, too nice for Kaleena's comfort. She grew used to small, humble spaces. Dirty spaces. She slightly regretted breaking into one of the nicer apartments on Coruscant. It was rare, but she occasionally wanted a good view of the Jedi Temple. She didn't dare go near it, but she would break into apartments that were on the surface and empty in order to see it.

Water dripped from her face as she splashed her face to wake up. She had to get moving. The owners of the lovely apartment would undoubtedly be back soon. She had been there too long. After packing up what little things she had, Kaleena took off right before the sun started to rise.

Kaleena made her way quickly to the lower levels of the planet. No one bothered her. She traveled like a shadow in the darkness until her datapad chimed with an update. Kal slid into a small alleyway and pulled her datapad out of her backpack. Whenever a new bounty went out for someone last seen on Coruscant, Kal got a notification. The new bounty was wanted dead or alive and wasn't deemed dangerous. Exactly the type of bounties that Kaleena went after.

Since landing on Coruscant months prior, Kaleena had updated her wardrobe and gear, losing a lot of credits quickly for clothing, food, and black-market goods. And the occasional room to stay in. Her Padawan braid sat snuggly with her bracelet of kyber crystals in the pouch on her thigh. To earn money, she began taking up the occasional bounty that didn't require killing. Many of them required a chase and/or a beating, and she still didn't know how to use blasters. They were mostly for show. Coruscant also didn't provide any areas to practice shooting without being suspicious. This left Kal with honing her hand-to-hand combat skills. Sometimes she picked up a pipe to hit someone with. Those skills would never leave her. She wouldn't let them.

The last known location of Bendu Fry, according to the bounty listed, was a cantina two levels below her. While staking it out, she didn't see the wanted Devaronian at all. She didn't truly expect to see him there. If he had any inkling of being wanted and if he was smart, that was the important part, Fry wouldn't stay anywhere too long. And there were a lot of cantinas on Coruscant.

Kaleena made a beeline for the bar, specifically the bartender. The bartender was an older female Falleen. While an alien, like most of the cantina occupants, her green skin still stood out amongst the other patrons in the room. Kaleena leaned against the bar and got her attention.

The bartender looked at Kal with mistrust but leaned closer to speak anyway. "Why are you in my bar, child?" the Falleen asked shrewdly.

A few credits were slipped onto the bar counter. "I need information." The Falleen looked at Kal expectantly, wanting more than a few credits. Kaleena begrudgingly set a few more onto the surface.

The Falleen was pleased, picking up the credits and putting them into her own pocket. "What can I help you with?"

Kaleena held up her datapad, showing the picture of Bendu Fry. "Have you seen him lately?"

The bartender looked closely at the picture. "Hmm, he was here a few days ago. Comes around every once in a while telling jokes to any girl who will listen, but between you and me, they're just in it for the free drinks."

While interesting, that wasn't exactly what Kaleena was hoping for. "Anything else?"

"You know, at my age memory isn't what it used to be." The look on the bartender's face was clear as day. She knew more. She wanted more credits. Yet again, Kaleena placed a few more credits out. "Oh, look at that. It's all coming back to me." The smile on the Falleen's face made Kaleena sick at the greed in the galaxy. "Fry bar hops, a lot. He never really goes far, sticking to the same few levels. This one and the two below." Kaleena nodded in thanks and was about to turn and walk away. "Wait, kid. Word of advice: he likes to talk. He'll offer many things in exchange for his life."

Unsure of why that was important, Kaleena still nodded and made her way out of the cantina. She had a Devaronian to catch. She traveled to many different cantinas as quickly as she could before finding Fry chatting up two scantily-clad female Twi'leks. The cantina was fairly busy and disgusting, so Kal decided against confronting him inside. Waiting outside of a cantina is also sketchy, so she decided to wait on a separate walkway across from the cantina. She had a perfect view of the main entrance and would be able to follow Fry once he left and catch him in an alley.

She rested her arms on the railing in order to act naturally. Waiting patiently was never her strong suit.

"I-I don't know where he is! I swear!" a squeaky man exclaimed down the walkway. A threatening figure covered in Mandalorian armor shoved him aside. As the bounty hunter walked past Kaleena, she spotted a holographic image of Bendu Fry flicker off from one of his wrist gauntlets. He was after the same bounty. From the sound and looks of it, he didn't know Fry was in the cantina just below, only in this general area.

Considering Fry most likely wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Kal decided to follow the intimidating bounty hunter. She didn't get very far.

A few minutes later in a dark alley, Kaleena was shoved up against a wall, a gloved hand wrapped around her neck. "Why are you following me, kid?" he questioned. The bounty hunter was strong and certainly not stupid. The voice behind the helmet also indicated that he was male.

"That's not my name," Kal choked out quietly, trying to pry his fingers off her throat. She envisioned him rolling his eyes.

His grip tightened further. "I will kill you if you don't answer me."

Kaleena only saw one way out of this. "I know where Bendu Fry is." The bounty hunter let her go. She collapsed on the cold ground, gasping and choking for air.

The man knelt down in front of her. "How do you know I'm after him?"

The young girl looked up at the green and red helmet, not seeing the eyes underneath. "Maybe you should try turning off holograms faster."

He ignored her jab. "What do you want for the location?"

"Half the bounty," she replied, picking herself up from the ground. The bounty hunter laughed sharply and stood. Kaleena narrowed her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. Unlike the small, squeaky guy down the platform, the bounty hunter didn't scare her. While she was intimidated, she now knew what to expect. "I didn't find it that unreasonable. I found him. The only reason I don't have him is because I'm going to corner him."

"A third," he said quickly.

She was surprised he didn't turn her down completely and smirked. She definitely thought negotiating was going to be harder. "Uh, okay. Deal." Then she noticed the jetpack on his back. "Does that thing work?" Kal gestured to the pack.

"Yes, why?"

"Follow me." Kaleena jumped off the platform, onto the beam ten feet below. Her steps were quick and silent as she crossed the beam to the other side of the gap. Then she hung by her arms and dropped down onto the walkway near the front of the cantina that had Fry.

The bounty hunter stood momentarily from the platform, watching the girl cross with skill. He shook off any surprise with ease and followed her over by using his jetpack. After landing, he turned to her. "You know, I could've flown us both over."

"Where's the fun in that?" Kaleena and the bounty hunter then walked into the cantina and stood together just inside the entrance. She nodded over to the Devaronian still flirting with the girls.

"Are you even old enough to be in a cantina?"

"Maybe. I really don't think they care. Are you going to get him, or what?"

The bounty hunter stalked forward, makes his way directly to Fry's table. Kaleena followed, keeping a short distance away. "An Ewok and a Gungan walk into a bar, and the bartender says-" Fry cuts off his own joke as the bounty hunter stops in front of his table and points a blaster at him. "Boba Fett!"

Fett. The name hits Kaleena like a bus. He was notorious in the Outer Rim. "Bendu Fry. You are wanted by Black Sun for-" Fry flips the table forward and tries to make a break for it, but Fett calmly used his whipcord launcher to apprehend Fry. Fry collapsed on the floor, his legs tangled in the cord. Fett stood over him menacingly, holding up his blaster. "Running is pointless."

"Wait! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Fry pleaded. "I've got something better to offer you!" Fett hesitated, allowing Fry to speak. "There's a rumor about a Jedi that's on this very planet!" Kal froze and stared wide-eyed at the Devaronian. He couldn't possibly know about her, could he? She never dared to bring out her lightsaber ever since she landed and she never used the Force visibly. Fry wasn't done trying to talk his way out of it. "Everybody knows how you helped the Empire wipe them out, so the bounty on one who managed to slip through the cracks is gonna bring in way more than some slag like me." Fett didn't reply. "Come on! The chance to take down one more Jedi isn't something the great Boba Fett is about to pass up."

The scum was right. Fett lowered his blaster. "Where?" Fry divulged all the information he had and Kaleena relaxed. It wasn't her, but the information sounded real. Fry crawled up and away, picking up where he left off: drinking and flirting. Fett stood close to Kal. He shoved a comlink into her hand. "I'm going to check it out. Watch him. If he tries anything, shoot him."

Kaleena couldn't answer, but Fett didn't expect a reply. He hurried out the door, leaving Kal alone in a dirty cantina. She took a seat in the back corner of the cantina so she could see everything. As time passed, Fry occasionally looked over at her, scared, but she stayed put, thinking about the Jedi killer she had met. Boba Fett had killed Jedi, people like her father, or at least helped the Empire hunt them down. She didn't know how that made her feel.

He's a bounty hunter. He simply did a job and got paid. The fact that they were Jedi probably meant nothing to him. Depending on his age, he probably barely even knew about the Jedi or at least was fairly young when the Jedi were still around. Her father would be disappointed in her, she knew. But she couldn't bring herself to care. The Jedi were responsible for millions of deaths throughout the galaxy. Sure, they also saved people, too, but they weren't in the right. They weren't in the wrong either. They were doing their jobs, just like Boba Fett.

A few hours passed before the comlink from Fett beeped. Kal quickly answered it, the bounty hunter's voice ringing out before she could say anything. "Kill him."

Nothing else was said. Either the tip was wrong, the Jedi was elusive, or Fett didn't kill the Jedi. The last one didn't sound right, but Kaleena wanted to choose that one. His order, however, wasn't something she was sure she could do. Hondo's words about her first ship hijack echoed in her memory. It was hard. She'd already killed a krayt dragon. How hard would a person be?

She slowly rose out of her seat, plucking one of her blasters from her side and gripping it tightly. Her arm guards ate into her skin as she strolled over to the Devaronian's table. It wasn't different. It wasn't different. She stopped in front of Fry's table and raised her blaster.

"Boba Fett sends his regards," she told the frightened man. It wasn't different. She pulled the trigger, blasting Bendu Fry. Kaleena let out the breath she was holding, clipped her blaster to her belt, and walked out of the cantina, leaving all the patrons shocked at the sight of Bendu Fry's dead body. It wasn't different.

Just outside the cantina was Boba Fett, leaning against the wall. He wanted to see if she'd actually do it. And she did. "You're not so bad, kid."

Kaleena glared at him. "I have a name, and I'm not a kid."

Fett kicked off the wall and stood in front of her. "You're younger than me and that makes you a kid. As long as you listen to me, you can stick around. Assuming you have nowhere else to go." He turned around, ready to walk, and glanced back at her. "You coming?"

Kal looked around at the dingy streets and raised her chin before replying to the offer. "Yes."


	12. Mark of a Hunter

3 BBY

Boba Fett and Kaleena fled to the planet closest to Coruscant: Alsakan. It was a wealthy planet with a monarchy that still stood despite the Empire. The two did not find themselves in a city, however. Fett touched down in the Ten Valleys, away from most civilized life.

The moment they landed, Fett stood from the pilot's seat and nodded his head towards the door. "Come on," he ordered. He then walked out of the cockpit. Kaleena jumped from her seat and followed. Fett took her outside. The beautiful scenery was marred by remnants of a battle. Large metal pieces were prominent but held overgrown shrubbery. Nature was taking over what was left by sentients. It was different than how Tatooine took over. It was flora instead of sand. It was beautiful.

Fett stopped walking shortly after exiting the ship, turning to the girl. His stance was stern and confident. It would be strange for a man of his reputation to not display confidence in his actions. "You're probably wondering why we're here," he started.

"Yep," Kal cut in.

The bounty hunter paused, slightly annoyed at her obvious impatience. She reminded him of himself. He was similar when he was a kid. Headstrong, confident, impatient, stubborn. The traits would either serve her well or get her into trouble. They already have, but thankfully for her, Fett actually liked kids. If he didn't, he would have killed the false Jedi and his son on Coruscant. He wasn't a fan of unnecessary death or ripping families apart, no matter what his reputation said.

"If I'm going to take you in, I need to see what you're made of." He folded his arms, looking her over. Her stance was impeccable like she was made to constantly have her back straight and her chin up. The ferocity in her eyes was also apparent. Fett knew that whoever her parents had been, if she knew them at all, had a hell of a time trying to reign her in. "If you're going to run with me, know that it's going to be hard. Being a bounty hunter isn't ever easy."

"I know. I've already hijacked a ship and fought off a crime lord's guards." Kaleena said it with such ease that Fett had to take a moment to realize what she had said.

His footing shifted. "Seriously?" She nodded enthusiastically. She really missed doing it. It helped that she was with another Force-user, but a known Jedi-killer didn't need to know that about her. The rush of adrenaline was fun. "Alright, let's see what you can do. Come at me."

Kaleena took a moment to watch him. It seemed as though he was visibly relaxed, but the armor didn't help. She decided to just rush him. Kal sprinted forward to rush him. She lasted a good few moments before being knocked back. Almost immediately, she brushed off the stun and attacked again, from a different angle, using her small stature and quick reflexes to land some nice hits in. Fett blocked or dodged most, except one to his lower abdomen, which momentarily stunned him. He didn't let it phase him, eventually tossing Kal to the ground. She slammed down with a hard thud and grunt.

Fett stood above her, nodding slowly. He held out his hand and helped her up. Kal brushed off the dirt as he spoke. "You're pretty good." There was no greater compliment from the great Boba Fett. He was specially trained by his father, one of the best bounty hunters that had graced the galaxy. Jango Fett only died because of a Jedi. Nothing else could take him on. Boba was trained well, so he knew a good fighter when he saw one. "But you seem to want to use something."

"What do you mean?" Kaleena asked. She was almost scared of his answer. She was pleading in her mind for him to not say the Force.

Fett straightened his armor, which Kal had successfully knocked out of place. "A weapon. You were trained well, but with something like a baton or staff, right? Maybe a knife?"

"Oh, yeah." She dug her heal into the soft earth. "My dad taught me."

He knew not to delve further into the matter about missing fathers, but he was glad to know that she had known at least one of her parents. "Well, you're good at it. Although, if you're going to be a bounty hunter then you're going to need the mark of one."

Kal's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You mean, like a tattoo or brand?" She unintentionally gripped her arm. The idea sounded painful.

Fett shook his head. "No." Kaleena felt a little stupid for guessing. "The mark, the marksmanship, the skill set with a blaster," he stuttered out, pointing at the blasters clipped to her belt. "You may carry two, but are you any good? You are from less than a meter away, but what about with distance?"

"Uh, I'm not the best."

"Then I'll teach you."

Kaleena followed the elder bounty hunter over to the nearest sheet of metal sticking out of the ground. "Grab one of your blasters." She unclipped the sporting blaster from her right side and held it up facing the metal target. It was wide and seemed too big to effectively be a good target, but she didn't want to question Fett. They barely knew each other. She didn't know anything about him. At least not enough to know how sarcastic and witty she could be without ticking him off like in the back alley on Coruscant. "Is the safety on?"

She fought the urge to grumble but double-checked her blaster anyway. "No."

"Good. You'd be surprised at how many people don't know about the safety mechanism." Kal had her blasters for a while. Long enough to have figured out the components, but still lacking the skill to shoot with accuracy and precision due to no practice. "When I'm done with you, you'll be an expert."

Lowering her blaster a little and picking up her head, Kaleena thought about his words. "So I can stay?" she inferred.

Fett folded his arms across his chest plate. "I didn't say that."

"But you just said-"

"Fire at the target." Kal quickly pulled the trigger at the harsh, stern order. The blaster bolt barely hit it. The scorch mark was near the top edge, nowhere near the middle. "First lesson, aim."

Kal shook her head and glared at the spot the bolt hit, still holding up her blaster. "You were distracting me." She was better at physical deflection rather than mental deflection.

The bounty hunter scoffed in amusement. "There will always be distractions. And that was nothing. If you want a real distraction, I can shoot at you so you'd have to dodge, aim, and fire." The suggestion was mostly rhetorical. He planned to fully incorporate it into her blaster training when she got better.

The hours of blaster training passed slowly as Kaleena progressed. She realized halfway through that it would go smoother if she allowed the Force to guide her when taking the shot. Her muscles were no longer tense as she held up her blaster and fired at smaller and smaller targets. They only stopped when Fett noticed that she was growing restless, just like every other training she had gone through in the past.

The days following, Kal and Fett practiced shooting outside as much as they could, upping the stakes each time. Moving targets, different blasters, dodging, running. And when it was bad weather, they still practiced. It continued until he believed she was ready to go out with him on a bounty without being a liability.

"Are you up for this?" Fett asked Kaleena as she was zipping her long overcoat.

She laced on her arm guards. "Yes, why?"

Fett set his gloved hand on her shoulder to get her complete attention. "You're awfully quiet. I haven't heard a witty remark since I told you about the bounty."

"I'm-I'm just getting ready," she tried to reassure. The next order of business was to help her work on her sabaac face because Fett didn't buy her nonchalance for a second.

"Kaleena, bounty hunting isn't for everyone. Killing is something that you get used to, but you don't have to."

"I want to." Her words were quick and concise. There was no room for hesitation.

Fett nodded slowly. "Well, if you're sure." He took his hand off her shoulder and opened the storage bin closest to him. "You're going to need this." In his hand was black armor to cover her left shoulder, forearm, and fist. "Every hunter needs decent protection. Leather arm guards aren't going to cut it. And you seem to like hitting with your left arm even though you're right-handed."

He handed it to Kaleena who took it gingerly. It was lighter than she thought it would be but obviously good quality. The ridges and strapped together components would allow her to move freely. She hadn't received a gift in what seemed like forever. "It's made from durasteel, like my armor," Fett continued, not really knowing what to make of her expression. He couldn't decide if she was offended or grateful, only that she was staring at it with extreme intensity. He was about to continue talking about it to fill the silence, but Kal got to it before he could continue babbling.

"Thank you." Fett took a moment to realize that she was grateful. "It's amazing. Thank you, Fett."

The older bounty hunter smiled behind his helmet. "Call me Boba."


	13. Krayt's Claw

3 BBY

The planet Ord Mantell was a perfect hideout for a professional bounty hunter. It had the presence of the Black Sun crime syndicate and the Galactic Empire, both organizations which employed bounty hunters on the daily. It was also a good place for a new bounty hunter to learn. Kal's first order of business: getting a tattoo.

Boba shook his head as Kaleena's neck and collar bone were permanently embedded with white ink. He had recently helped her make her own symbol. Boba had expected her to paint it on her armor as he had done with his own, not get a tattoo of it that glowed in ultraviolet light. Although, he couldn't help but be proud that she was open to it. He had learned quickly that she had been fairly sheltered growing up and hadn't experienced a lot of the galaxy.

Once complete, Boba looked at the finished tattoo. While bleeding a little, it looked intriguing and reminiscent of a scar. It was triangular in shape with varying lines like a jagged maze. It was simple but complex like its wearer.

Together, they began to walk back to Boba's ship. "I can't believe you got a tattoo," Boba told her.

"You're the one that put the idea in my head," Kal countered.

He scoffed. "How was I supposed to know that the first thing you'd think of was a tattoo or brand? Everyone I know would know what I was talking about."

"Well, I didn't know you, did I?" she asked, her voice filled with the sass that both annoyed and amused Boba at the same time. The thud of their boots were in sync as they marched across a metal bridge. None of the bystanders questioned the personal armory that they carried. Kaleena was glad she hadn't worn her armor, otherwise, her neck and shoulder would hurt a lot more than they already did. Her mother's necklace, though, was safely tucked away in her utility belt. No random tattoo artist needed to see a kyber crystal.

"Thanks to your new scar, we should probably wait a few days before doing another bounty. Or I can do one without you."

Kaleena gasped. It was a mixture of real and dramatic, just to add the obnoxious flair. "You would go on a hunt without me? I am hurt, Boba. Truly." He rolled his eyes and she knew it. She didn't need to sense it or see it to know it happened. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"You know, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have kids, but then I see you and realize I don't want any more." She chose not to comment.

As they climbed over the hill to Slave 1, they spotted two figures waiting outside the ship. Kal heard Boba sigh dramatically. "Do you know them?" she asked. His sigh was less of a do-I-have-to-blast-someone sigh and more of a what-do-they-want sigh.

"Yes, don't do anything stupid." While confused and slightly offended, Kal decided to follow his order. She didn't recognize the two as they drew closer to the ship, but she could tell they were bounty hunters. One was human with a major portion of his face scarred, and the other was an imposing Trandoshan. Kal was immediately more intimidated by the Trandoshan than the human. Anyone with a brain and any basic survival instincts would be more frightened by a tall, scaled creature with pointed teeth.

The two stopped in front of the waiting bounty hunters. The human smiled creepily. "Boba, we hadn't heard from you," he greeted.

"So you decided to track me down?" Boba guessed, crossing his arms. Kal tensed at his defensive stance but remained calm.

"It wasssn't hard," the Trandoshan replied. Was tracking someone ever really difficult for a Trandoshan? Their whole culture revolved around hunting things.

The scarred human hunter shifted his footing. "You don't exactly seem to be hiding, but you dodge our calls anyway?"

Kaleena watched Boba for any sign of aggression but found none. He displayed nothing other than stoicism and defensiveness. She didn't know that he was receiving outreach from other hunters, but why would he avoid them? "What does the Claw want?" Boba asked sharply.

The Trandoshan hissed. "For our leader to check in oncce in a while. Who'sss the kid you're toting around?"

"A new hunter I've been training. This is Kaleena." Both of the hunters looked surprised to hear Boba say that. While Kaleena was more interested in what the Trandoshan meant by Boba being a leader, she was also surprised to hear Boba be so forward about who she was with people she didn't know. He usually tried to hide her away or didn't offer her name.

The human and Trandoshan narrowed their eyes at her, studying her appearance, stance, and gear. "Does _Kaleena_ have a last name?" the human questioned, glaring at the person who was distracting Boba from large bounties and his friends.

"Aput." Her answer was quick and defiant. She didn't appreciate being mocked. "Do you have a name or should I keep calling you scar-face in my head?"

Boba froze at her jab, regretting letting her walk over to the ship with him, but the Trandoshan simply burst into laughter. "That'sss Dengar. I'm Bossk," the alien introduced. Dengar was looking very offended and decided to continue glaring at her. "With humor like that, no wonder Boba took you under hisss wing." Dengar grumbled at his comment, so Kal snorted.

Boba shook his head at the two of them. "Why are you two here?" he asked.

"We were worried," Bossk answered. "It'sss been weekss ssince we heard from you last. Wanted to make sure you weren't in any trouble."

"Well, I'm not, but thanks." While his stance said one thing, his voice said another. Boba was actually grateful that they cared for his wellbeing. "You want a drink?"

Bossk and Dengar grinned. Bounty hunters don't turn down free drinks. All four boarded Boba's ship and made their way to the galley. Boba set his helmet down on the table. Together, they sat around the lounge, each with a drink.

"How did you get dragged into babysitting?" Dengar asked.

With a stern look at Dengar, Boba replied to him. "We were after the same bounty."

"He attacked me in an alley," Kal quipped lightly. She bared no ill-will for it as she would have done the same thing. She simply liked hearing his defensive argument.

"You were following me."

Kal lifted her glass with a smile. "I wasn't hurting anyone."

"No, but you did a few hours later." Boba propped his feet up on the table like the mercenary he was. Kaleena shook her head at him. Her first kill was in the past, but it was defining. She had grown from it. She was more comfortable with sentient death. It shook her core at first, but she simply kept repeating that it wasn't any different than killing an animal because it wasn't. It was taking life regardless and she had done it freely with non-sentients. There was no reason for her to be hung up on it.

"Anyway, I have a question," Kaleena said to change the subject. "What's the Claw?"

"It's a syndicate of bounty hunters I formed during the Clone Wars," Boba explained.

That was almost twenty years prior. "Sometimes I forget how old you are." Bossk laughed at Boba's exasperated look. He vaguely regretted them being comfortable with each other because ever since Kal had grown more and more sarcastic and clever. "And what kind of name is the Claw? It's like you're trying too hard to be intimidating. Black Sun and Crimson Dawn are loads better."

"Krayt's Claw is the full name." Boba was trying to save face by saying the full name, but he knew she had a point. He couldn't change the name though. He formed it when he was about her age.

"Like after a krayt dragon?" Kal inquired, losing her joking tone.

"They're formidable opponentsss, like usss," Bossk said. "I want to kill one before I retire. They're the ultimate mark of a hunter." That phrase will hunter her forever.

Kal grinned. "Would you believe me if I said I killed a krayt dragon?"

Dengar scoffed and decided at that moment to speak. "No." There was no way he believed a small girl had killed a krayt dragon. Not in a million years.

"Well, I did."

Dengar still didn't believe her. While Boba and Bossk had doubts, neither thought she'd claim something without proof, which is exactly what Dengar wanted to see. "Do you have any proof?" His smug expression didn't faze her.

"Yeah, it's the one I didn't sell." Kal quickly ran to her small quarters, dug through her backpack, and pulled out the krayt dragon pearl. She couldn't exactly figure out why Dengar's words bothered her so much, but they did. And she couldn't sit by and watch as someone refused to take her seriously. Back in the galley, she held the blue pearl up so all three male bounty hunters could see it.

The familiar weight of the pearl shifted from her hand to one of Boba's. He held it in awe. He'd never seen one before, only heard of them. Tusken Raiders on Tatooine especially prized them. Boba was both proud and amused. He looked up from the pearl in his hand and at Dengar. "Do you believe her now, Deng?"

Begrudgingly, Dengar nodded. His eyes glinted with slight admiration. "You're not so bad, kid."


	14. The Bounty

2 BBY

Boots laced. Coat zipped. Armor strapped. Kaleena was ready to go. Her bounty's last known location was primed and ready in the navicomputer. She was ready to take down her first difficult solo bounty.

Boba Fett stood at the door of the cockpit as Kal was priming the ship for takeoff. "You ready for this?" he asked, leaning against the frame with his arms over his chest.

Kal turned in the chair to face her mentor. "Yes." There was no doubt clouding her expression or voice. Boba almost couldn't tell what she was feeling, but he could still read her perfectly. She may have gotten better controlling her facial expressions, but she still had a long way to go before she could fool Boba.

"Safonne Pendon is notorious." Kal nodded at his indirect warning and returned to getting the ship ready, but Boba wasn't done being worried. "Don't underestimate him."

"I won't." Her voice rang out in the cockpit. She was in a good mood. Even Boba's worry couldn't change it.

"You might want a vibroblade since that's what he favors."

"Thanks for the info."

"And he usually has people with him."

"Mhm."

"And he's good at flying, so make sure you scout around for nearby ships he might escape in."

"Got it."

"Oh, and-"

"Boba!" Kaleena abruptly turned to the older bounty hunter. "Boba, it's alright. I've got this. And if something seriously goes wrong, I know you'll come running to my aid. But you have to trust me. I've done my research. I'm prepared. The hard part is finding him. The last lead is from two weeks ago on Eriadu. It's a trade world though, so no one stays for long. And Pendon seems at least relatively smart, so he probably knows there's a bounty on his head. There are some on his crew, too. I could get lucky and cash in on more than one bounty."

Boba sighed and sat in the pilot seat. "Sorry, I guess I'm just worried about you. But you're eighteen. I was doing more dangerous things when I was younger than that. I shouldn't hold you to a different standard. If you need anything, I'll be there."

Kaleena smiled at him. When he let himself relax, Boba could actually be like a father figure to those around him. He was probably the type of father that Kal would have preferred to have growing up. It wasn't like Obi-Wan was a bad father, he simply didn't know what a child truly needed. He did the best he could and that's all Kaleena could have hoped for. She was just glad that she was getting the experience now. And she's gotten what she's always wanted. Freedom.

"Come on, are you going to fly the ship or do I need to?" she asked jokingly.

There was no way in hell that Boba would let her fly his ship. He playfully glared at her but strapped himself in. Then they were off to Eriadu.

Kal scouted for leads for days across the planet in as many cantinas, spaceports, and ratholes as she could. And it led nowhere. Her footsteps echoed as she stomped up the ramp into the Slave 1. Throwing down her heavy blaster onto her bed, she let out a noise of frustration. Her most recent contact was a slimy Duros with green skin and a habit of talking too loud. She wouldn't have minded the loud voice if he had actually been helpful.

A sharp knock rang out on the hatch of her room. Kal sighed. The last person she wanted to talk to about her ever-growing failure was her mentor.

"Kal, I know you're in there," Boba said through the door. "I saw the door close."

The girl looked at the door, silently debating whether or not to open it. After a few moments, she pressed the button. The hatch slid open, revealing Boba. Whenever she saw him without his armor on, Kaleena wanted to laugh at how ordinary he looked, but this time she didn't have the motivation to do so. She stood there, her expression a mixture of anger and boredom.

"You didn't find him, huh?" While the statement itself seemed condescending, Boba actually felt bad. Her excitement had turned to frustration. A frustrated bounty hunter can either be sloppy or dangerous. The glint in Kaleena's eyes made him lean towards dangerous.

Kaleena sat down on her mattress. "You'd think someone, anyone would have seen him."

"He could be good at hiding his tracks, only dealing with trusted sources who wouldn't crack under the pressure of a scary woman holding a blaster to their privates." Kal snorted at his attempt to ease her anger, causing Boba to smile at his slight success. "Or he paid them off. Pendon has a lot of money and an unpredictable reputation. We see it occasionally. Not every bounty is as easy as an overweight Devaronian sitting in one of four cantinas." That memory really got her smiling. Her small chuckle was nice to hear. It made her look more like the young woman she still was. The one she tried so hard not to be.

"Thanks, Boba." She stood up, took a deep breath, and looked at her mentor with a newfound sense of dedication. "I-I'm going to scout nearby planets and systems, starting with the ones that are good places to hide or have thriving black markets."

Boba smirked. "Atta, girl." He taught her well.

The map of the known galaxy was huge. There was no way that anyone had ever been to absolutely every planet or system. It simply wasn't possible in one lifetime. But the map was a culmination of multiple generations. There would continue to be new discoveries even after Boba or Kaleena had long perished. It wouldn't, however, take multiple generations to find one Rodian. He had to be talking to someone.

The first planet searched was Sullust. It was a major export of fuel for the Empire. While Kal had no true love for the Empire, it was an Imperial officer who had placed the bounty, so a few of the bucketheads were more than willing to allow Kaleena access to the surveillance system of a street where a bartender had claimed to see Safonne Pendon.

Kal sat in the uncomfortable chair as she poured over recordings of the last week on this one street. The lead officer at the specific outpost in charge of surveillance also had facial recognition, which made the scanning easier. However, considering the severe dislike of aliens from the Empire, the scan only looked for basic Rodian features. Every Rodian that passed through the street was flagged.

Hours passed until Kal spotted the one Rodian she actually cared about. The recording showed him talking to a human female. She looked rough, but definitely gave him some sort of information. It was time-stamped for a day prior.

"Thanks," Kal said before rushing out the door and to the area from the recording. Many Imperials and regular citizens rushed about, going from point a to point b, no caring about the young bounty hunter.

Kaleena hurried through every cantina, searching for the human woman. Her pink hair should have been easy to spot, but on a planet full of aliens that Kal had never seen before, strangely colored hair was not at the top of the list of things that would immediately catch her eye. It left Kal scrambling between every building, shop, cantina, and alley on and around the street that the woman had been seen with Pendon.

It took a few hours as Kaleena had to be discrete. She had to try her hardest to not alert anyone to her search. This left her with the tedious tasks of walking, loitering, and eavesdropping. But it paid off.

Hiding in the back of an alley was the haggard woman from the security recording. She looked tattered and cold, her vibrant pink hair messy and stringy. Kal almost felt bad for what she was about to do. Almost.

Stepping into the alley and hiding in the shadows, Kaleena reached out with the Force. She could feel the struggling life force of the woman and delved into her mind. The woman was either incredibly weak or distracted leading to very little resistance as Kal poked and prodded through her recent memories, looking for the runaway Rodian. She found what she needed.

Kal ignored the fact that Pendon was the woman's spice dealer and picked out the pieces that she needed. According to the woman's memory, Pendon was traveling off-world to Utapau, or at least that's what Kaleena could draw from it with the offhanded mention of the sinkhole world. A lead is a lead.

The young bounty hunter rushed back to Boba Fett's ship, and together they flew to Utapau. The planet was riddled with sinkholes. They were giant and home to the native populations and any immigrants. It was the perfect place to hide.

Utapau was known for not wanting to get involved with conflict, so bribing officials to view their own security recordings was nothing. Since both the Pau'an, the administrative leaders, and the Utai, the main labor force, were considered aliens by anyone who wasn't human, their software was more finely tuned than the Empire's, able to pick out key differences in individuals of each species. Pendon had a hideout on the planet. And according to the holorecordings, he went in and hadn't come out yet.

Kaleena rushed out of the office and hurried as quickly through the streets as she could without drawing unwanted attention to herself or her potential destination. As Kal happened upon the hideout, she climbed onto a platform from across the dwelling, glad she wasn't claustrophobic since the structure of living spaces on Utapau was similar to Coruscant-everything was in layers. The difference between the two planets, however, was the Coruscant levels were made of metal while Utapau was made of rock. Kal would trust a metal surface over a stone one any day.

From her high nook, Kal scoped out the surroundings, spotting three guards who weren't good at acting inconspicuous. Each was equipped with guns and snarls. One was Rodian, the other two were Weequay. Both species had a seemingly high number of criminals. She was hidden in the shadows as she waited patiently for nightfall. Her first difficult solo bounty was not going to have civilian casualties.

As the number of civilians wandering the streets dwindled to zero, Kaleena held her heavy blaster and put it in the sniper configuration. There was something thrilling about sniping. A nice air of mystery as a sniper rained fire below, hidden from all eyes. Kal pressed her body against the metal walkway to hide herself as much as possible as she aimed at the closest pirate, one of the Weequays, and pulled the trigger.

The other two pirates immediately readied their blasters, whipping their heads around to try and find Kal. She lined up her next shot and took out the Rodian guard. The Weequay began shouting the moment the Rodian hit the ground. Kal sighed and immediately shot him, too.

Two more pirates exited the front door. Kal scoffed at their stupidity, shooting them before the door could even start to close. The door stayed open as Kal jumped down from the platform and rushed over to the door, slowly peeking her head through the opening to spot any more pirates. The front room seemed empty, and she didn't sense anything from the Force, so Kal began dragging the five dead pirates into the room so no one outside the dwelling would find them. She didn't need unnecessary attention from authorities.

After pressing the button to close the front door, Kaleena treaded lightly towards a door on the far side. She could hear occupants talking in hushed tones in Huttese. They were worried about their companions who had gone to aid the guards outside.

One of the pirates ordered more to take a look. As the door opened, Kal grabbed the gun of the first pirate, ripping it from her hands and bashing her upside the head with it and tossing the gun away as she crumpled to the floor. All other pirates in the room began shouting and readying their weapons, ordering the protection of Pendon. They were also scared to have someone walk through the door again. Thankfully, Kaleena had a present from Boba Fett.

Kaleena readied her vibroblade and unclipped a smoke grenade from her belt. She pressed the button and tossed it in the room, filling it with smoke. Rushing inside, Kal immediately began taking down pirates, stabbing them with her blade or knocking them out with her armored fist.

The smoke barely lasted for a minute, leaving Kaleena exposed to one pirate left, the leader, Safonne Pendon. He coughed a few times from the remaining smoke but otherwise glared at Kal and unsheathed his own vibroblade. She didn't even get to be her impatient self as he launched himself at her first.

Dodging, slashing, and stabbing were all Pendon seemed to be able to do. He was good, but Kal got the upper hand as she swept his feet and kicked his chest. Pendon's back hit his desk with a crack, and Kal kicked his blade away, leaving the Rodian gasping in pain and utterly defenseless.

The bounty hunter stood tall with no emotion as she sheathed her blade and unclipped her sporting blaster. Raising the blaster, she said, "Any last words?"

"Who-who are you?" Pendon replied, his eyes drooping and his expression contorted in a grimace.

Kaleena pulled the trigger. The fried Rodian slumped to the ground, unmoving. "That was a poor choice of last words."


	15. Old Friends

2 BBY

Alarms rang through the _Slave 1_ as they were blasted by another ship. The enemy ship flew by, shooting their hyperdrive and guns as they passed. Boba Fett did everything he could to try and maneuver around the blast shots, but with failing systems and the engine on fire, there was only so much he and his copilot could do before the ship was hit and they blacked out.

Boba's helmet protected him from the initial cranial impact and increasing lack of oxygen flowing through the ship after becoming unconscious for a few minutes. As his eyes blinked open, he spotted Kaleena still out of it a few feet away. The warning system was still blaring throughout the ship as the bounty hunter pulled himself up to the dashboard and sent out a distress signal, hoping that the people who attacked them wouldn't be the ones to pick it up. He hadn't recognized the ship. They had come out of nowhere. But he did spot a symbol painted on its side.

Dragging himself over to the unconscious girl, he sat up against one of the control panels and pulled Kaleena into his lap. Blood caked the back of her head. Boba stared regretfully down at the young girl. She was still breathing, but it was growing shallower. The air in the cockpit was getting thinner.

With his gloves covered in Kaleena's blood, he undid his helmet and gingerly slipped it onto her head. Boba's lungs were in agony as his body reacted to the lack of oxygen, but Kal's breathing grew steadier and stronger. He slowly slipped back into unconsciousness as he watched her.

* * *

Kaleena groaned in pain as she shifted her head and arms. The odd pressure around her head made her snap her eyes open. The last thing she could remember was being attacked when Boba and her were upgrading the shields on the _Slave 1_. While it was a terrible name, Boba told her it was bad luck to change a ship's name unless ownership had changed. The current surroundings were familiar to her, simplistic, but she couldn't place it as she pushed herself up into a seated position.

"Woah, easy there," a voice said. Kaleena looked around and spotted someone she didn't think she'd see again sitting in a chair to the side.

"Ezra." She couldn't help it. Kal launched herself at him, wrapping him in her arms tightly. "It's so good to see you." She pulled away and chuckled. "You cut your hair."

He ran his hands through what was left and sheepishly smiled. "Yeah." Then he shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. You're hurt. You should be laying down."

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Where's-"

"Tha Mandalorian? He's with Hera, I think." He gestured to the door before folding his arms over his chest. "Speaking of, when did you become buddy-buddy with a bounty hunter?"

The harshness in his voice was evident, but Kal thought nothing of it. "Not too long after I left the _Ghost_. I'm surprised Sabine isn't with him, asking about his armor."

"Actually. . ." His voice trailed off, but Kal raised an eyebrow and looked at him sternly to get him to spill. "She's on Mandalore. She's trying to free her people. It's just, her leaving is a little bit of a touchy subject."

"How have you been?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, you know, hurting the Empire, getting hunted, the usual. We have a base now, too. You should come and see it." The two young Jedi laughed together.

"That's good, I'm glad." She specifically didn't address the invitation on purpose. "Zeb still giving you a hard time?"

Ezra scoffed but his smile didn't leave him. "Yeah, but he's gotten better ever since we found some of his people."

That was surprising. Lasats were a rare find ever since the Empire committed genocide on Lasan. Kal's eyes were wide at the thought of more. "You found more Lasats?"

Ezra nodded enthusiastically. "It was cool getting to know more about Zeb's culture and background. What about you? What have you been up to? Besides befriending a bounty hunter."

She rolled her eyes. "You've got to let that go. You are literally a fugitive. My bounty hunting hasn't gotten me a bounty to rival the cost of a planet's treasury."

Ezra's eyes bugged out of his head. "You're a bounty hunter, too?"

Pinching her nose, Kaleena sighed. "Look, Ezra, a lot has happened since we last met. But if it makes you feel any better, I stay away from bounties on rebels."

"And your friend?"

"Unless he's specifically hired by the Empire, he doesn't go after their open bounties." Kal narrowed her eyes at him, studying his stance and annoyed expression. "Are you jealous?"

"Uh, no, why-why would-no," Ezra sputtered while blushing.

Kal didn't believe him and with good reason. "Have you seen him without his helmet? He's old. Like almost old enough to be my dad."

His face pinched. "He hasn't taken his helmet off since he got it back and cleaned it."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you even realize your head is wrapped in a bandage?"

Kaleena's eyebrows furrowed as she glanced upward and brought her hand to her head. Sure enough, that was the pressure she had noticed when she had woken up. She had forgotten about it at the sight of her old friend. "What happened? I remember being attacked and then nothing."

"Your head was bleeding and your ship was losing oxygen. Your buddy gave you his helmet to stabilize your breathing. We got there after he had passed out, too. He, Hera, and Chop are trying to fix the ship. He's not much of a talker. Didn't even give us his name. Was surprised we knew you, though."

"Yeah, that sounds like Boba. Can you take me to him?"

With that, the two walked out of the room, which Kal realized was Hera's room. Ezra took Kal through the _Ghost's_ airlock and into the _Slave 1_ , keeping an eye on her just in case she collapsed. Hera's stern voice sounded through the ship as she told Chopper to do something. Ezra quickly followed the sound, Kaleena following him.

As Hera's form came into view, the Twi'lek smiled at the two kids. She stopped what she was doing, setting down her tools. "It's nice to see you walking around. We were pretty worried," Hera said to Kal, pulling her into a hug.

Kaleena returned the hug. "Thanks for helping us, Hera. I'm glad it was the _Ghost_ crew." They pulled away from each other.

"Although, I will admit," Hera began, "the tattoo was a bit of a shock."

The young girl snorted at her comment as Boba walked into the engine room holding a datapad. "I tried to talk her out of it," the veteran bounty hunter added.

Kaleena folded her arms over her chest. "Yes, he did, but I got it anyway." She could practically feel Boba's exasperation. She ignored it. "Where's Kanan, Rex, and Zeb?"

Hera grinned. "Kanan and Zeb have the _Phantom_. Rex is working on the guns. So, do you know who attacked you?"

Kal shook her head, glancing up at Boba. "I didn't recognize the ship. Boba?"

"There was a symbol on the side." The graveness in Boba's voice was ever-present to Kal.

Hera definitely didn't look happy while gazing at the bounty hunter, but she was still courteous. "Could you describe it? I might recognize it."

"Unless you run around with pirates, I doubt it." Boba handed Kal the datapad he was holding, so she turned it on. On the screen was her first solo dangerous bounty. Safonne Pendon. In the corner was his gang's symbol. Kaleena let out a frustrated groan. "Must be one of his lackeys looking for revenge. I thought you took out everyone in the building."

"I did," Kal told him.

"Who are we talking about?" Ezra asked.

Kaleena looked up from the datapad and at her friend. "A pirate that I collected the bounty on. Safonne Pendon."

"That was you?" The shock was evident on Hera's face. "I heard about that. Kanan and I were surprised to hear about his death, to say the least. He'd been causing problems." She cut herself off before she said something about the rebellion, but Kaleena understood. Pendon had been targeting their supplies, not just the Empires.

"Yeah. . ." Kal trailed off. Between Ezra's worried look and Hera's shock, she didn't want to discuss bounties that she had been a part of.

Thankfully for Kaleena, someone walked in. "The guns are back online," Rex announced as he stood just inside the doorway to the engine room. The group collectively turned to look at him. "Kaleena, it's nice to see you up."

"Your engines are good now, too," Hera added. "As long as Chop has fixed your deflector shields, you should be good. Well, at least long enough to get to a planet and get professional repairs and new parts." She wouldn't outright say it since she liked Kaleena, but she wanted the bounty hunter gone. Anyone who wouldn't reveal his name was someone she wouldn't trust.

"Good, thanks," Boba said stiffly. He looked at Kal. "You ready to go?"

She wasn't. She couldn't make herself say yes. Ezra's invitation to the rebel base echoed in her mind. The rebellion was growing, and she wanted to see it. "Can I talk to you for a second?" His apprehension was obvious as the two walked out of the engine room, leaving Rex, Hera, and Ezra to wonder about their friend and the bounty hunter. Kal and Boba walked down a ways away from the engine room. "I want to stay with them for a little bit."

"How do you know them?" Boba asked. He didn't ask why or for how long. He just wanted to know who these people were. Kal already had his trust.

"The boy, Ezra, he got me out of an interesting spot. I stayed with them for a few days. They helped me out. They're good people." Good people were hard to find during the reign of the Empire.

Boba nodded slowly. "Alright. I'm going to take the ship to get repaired. I'll transmit you my coordinates. Meet me when you're ready."

Kal smiled softly. "Thank you, Boba." She wrapped her arms around his torso without warning. While he was shocked at first, the man relaxed and patted her on the back. It was as affectionate as he was going to get.

"Be safe."


	16. The Rebellion

2 BBY

The moment Boba left on his ship and Kaleena had taken off her bandages and cleaned up in the refresher, Ezra showed Kaleena his Sith Holocron. The _Ghost_ had already entered hyperspace and the first thing Ezra wanted to do was gush about what he found. The two young Jedi sat in Kanan's empty room as Ezra held out the red, pyramid-shaped holocron out to his friend.

"It's not glowing," Kal pointed out as she took the holocron into her hand. She glanced at the Jedi Holocron sitting nearby. "Neither of them are. And they're open. What happened?"

Ezra had the audacity to look embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, right, that. Well, they combined."

When Ezra didn't offer any more details, Kal raised an eyebrow and pressed on. "Combined?" The blue-haired boy didn't want to talk about it. It was a sensitive topic. "Ezra."

Ezra sighed. "Alright, Kanan and I met a Sith. Well, I guess, former Sith? I don't really know. But anyway, he tricked me into combining the holocrons together. When you combine Sith and Jedi holocrons, they show you the answer to any question you have. I don't think it really worked since I broke the connection too early."

"Did you know his name?" Kal asked.

"Uh, yeah. His name is Maul." Kaleena's blood ran cold, and she quickly dropped the holocron. Metal clanged against metal as the holocron hit the floor. "Woah, hey, are you okay?" Ezra picked up the Sith relic and studied his friend's expression. "Do you know him?"

Kal hugged her jacket closer and folded her arms around her stomach. "My dad told me about him. Darth Maul was the Sith who killed his master, Quin-Gon Jinn. Then my dad cut Maul in half. He thought Maul had died, but then he resurfaced during the Clone Wars. He never told me anything else about him."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ezra gingerly reached out ready to comfort her if needed, but Kal quickly shrugged and stopped hugging herself.

"It's alright. Didn't know him. How much longer till we reach the base?"

* * *

The two exited the _Ghost_ the moment the ship touched down. Ezra was super excited to show his friend around, and he finally had someone to hang out with other than Zeb. He never really got close to the other rebels that were around his age like Wedge or Hobbie. He didn't mind though but didn't realize just how much he liked having a friend around until he walked down the loading ramp with Kaleena.

Hera, Chopper, and Rex watched as Ezra talked a mile a minute as he pointed out everything to Kal. Each had varying levels of amusement. Chop whistled. "Oh, let him have his fun," Hera told the droid.

"Shouldn't we stop him from divulging too many secrets?" Rex asked, still watching the two teenagers slowly make their way towards the main part of the base.

Captain Syndulla shook her head. "No. I trust Kaleena. So does Kanan."

"And her bounty hunter friend? I never did see his face."

"Yeah, that was definitely strange, but she obviously trusts him with her life. We should probably give him the benefit of the doubt for now. And something tells me she won't tell him anything anyway. He had no idea who we were."

Rebel pilots walked about as Ezra talked animatedly. Kal glanced between him and their surroundings with amusement and astonishment. The rebellion was getting bigger. They actually had a base. It was pretty amazing.

"Ezra," a voice called out from behind them. The two turned around and spotted a stern man with sleek black hair that was speckled with greys. He walked up to them. "Who is this?"

While Ezra had initially thought he was in trouble, he beamed once again. "Commander Sato, this is my friend, Kaleena."

Kaleena stood straighter the moment Ezra said "commander". She stretched out her hand in greeting. "Kaleena Aput, sir."

Sato shook her hand. "Forgive my surprise and skepticism, but the friends of Mr. Bridger that I've-"

"Oh, no, sir," Ezra interrupted. "She's good. She's like me and Kanan."

Sato looked at her with newfound respect. Kal immediately knew that Ezra probably had a bad record with introducing outsiders. But she also realized that Sato must know that Ezra and Kanan were Jedi based on Ezra's statement. Sato offered her a polite smile. "We can never have enough Jedi, I must say."

Ezra gasped and turned to Kal, practically giving her whiplash. "We should spar! It's been forever. I've gotten better, I promise."

While Kaleena didn't doubt that Ezra had improved, she still snorted and smiled. "I actually don't have it with me. It's on Boba's ship."

"Oh." Ezra looked like she had kicked his pet.

Sato took that moment to leave the conversation. "If you'll excuse me. Welcome to Chopper Base." After a polite nod, Sato turned and left, walking past some male pilots in civilian gear while on his way.

Both pilots looked at the two Jedi. "I've never seen the commander so pleased," the dark-haired one said, pointing to the retreating man.

"I didn't screw anything up this time," Ezra offhandedly replied.

"This time?" Kal asked, looking at her friend. Ezra waved his hand while shaking his head.

"New recruit?" the blond boy asked, gesturing towards Kal.

Kaleena didn't allow Ezra to answer that, instead choosing to introduce herself. "Kaleena."

"Derek, but people call me Hobbie." The blond stuck his hand out for Kal to shake.

She shook the other guy's hand, too. "I'm Wedge. Ezra pull you out of an Imperial Academy, too?" He was referencing her accent since it was shared by most Imperials.

"Oh, no, my ship was attacked," Kaleena explained. "The _Ghost_ came to my rescue."

Hobbie grinned. "Well, saving damsels in distress is what us rebels do best." Kal laughed a little and smiled at him. He was charming and dare-she-think cute. While Ezra was cute in an adorable, little brother sort of way, Hobbie was more dashing with his perfectly styled blond hair and blue eyes that matched the clear sky.

Wedge glanced at Hobbie, not surprised with his flirting. "Do you plan on staying?" Wedge asked.

Kaleena nodded her head slowly. "For a little bit. Long enough to catch up with old friends." She turned to Ezra. "Speaking of, how much longer do I gotta wait before Kanan gets back? I saw a new wanted picture a few days back and something is definitely wrong with it."

Ezra's eyes widened. He forgot to tell her. "Oh, yeah, he's blind now."

Her shoulders slumped. "Seriously? I'm gone a year and everything gets blasted to smithereens. Sabine's gone, Kanan's blind. Anything else?"

"Ahsoka's dead." Any sign of joking disappeared from her expression. "But hey, we have a base?" Ezra's attempt at making up for the slight disaster that is the _Ghost_ crew didn't help.

Wedge lightly hit Ezra's shoulder. "You're not helping, bud."

Ezra grumbled, slightly annoyed. "You're not much better, Miss Bounty Hunter."

Kal scoffed. "You're lucky I don't cash in on your bounty. Or Kanan's. You know how much I could get for two live Jedi? Especially with your lightsabers? I'd never have to work again."

Both pilots were amused at their banter. It made them miss their families and friends on their homeworlds, but the rebellion was their home now. They didn't want to change that.

After a few more minutes, a small ship was spotted in the sky. Kal and Ezra felt the familiar Force signature of Kanan Jarrus before they could even tell the ship was the _Phantom_. The two said their goodbyes to the young rebellion pilots and hurried towards the _Ghost_ so they could greet their friends.

Kanan and Zeb entered the _Ghost_ after leaving the _Phantom_ to see Kaleena and Ezra waiting for them. Kanan's expression pinched together in confusion has his head tilted to the side. It was the first time he had seen the young girl since Maul had blinded him. Her Force signature felt different than before. Zeb was simply annoyed that Ezra's friend was back.

"When did you get here?" Zeb asked, his voice as harsh as usual.

Kal ignored his mood, knowing by now she shouldn't take it personally. "About an hour ago. Miss me, ugly?" She had quickly learned the first time around that the only way to communicate with Zeb was if you were snappy.

Zeb grunted. "Not really. Two Jedi are enough. We're good without a third."

"Or a fourth," Kal muttered offhandedly, now reminded of Ahsoka.

Kanan sighed lightly. He could feel her dread. "I take it Ezra's told you."

Kaleena nodded then quickly realized he's blind and said, "Yeah."

"Well, if it helps to know, she gave her life for a good cause." The rebellion immediately popped into her head, but somehow she knew that wasn't the reason Ahsoka died. Deep down, she knew it was something else. Possibly related, but not the same. Still, Ahsoka would have laid her life down for the rebellion if given the chance.

"How do I join?"

* * *

"Ezra, calm down."

"See, if you physically joined us, you know became a pilot, strategist, whatever, I'd be fine. But spying? That's where I wanna draw the line."

Kaleena rolled her eyes at Ezra's panicked expression. "First, you're not my dad. Second, I'd be a lot more help as an informant than being stuck on a base. Third, Ahsoka was an informant, too. I want to do it for her."

"What about your bounty hunter friend? Won't he get suspicious?"

Kal placed her hands on Ezra's shoulders to stop his pitiful almost-pacing. "Boba and I aren't joined at the hip. We both like having our alone time, too. Stepping aside for two minutes won't even cause him to blink an eye."

"Wait, Boba?" Kanan asked. Kal looked over to him, dropping her arms. She had almost forgotten that he and Zeb were still there. Ezra's mental freak out was her sole focus for the past few minutes. "What do you mean, Boba?"

"Oh, right, she's a bounty hunter now," Ezra blurted out.

The older Jedi ignored his pupil and looked harshly toward the young girl. "Boba. As in Boba Fett." His lack of an uptick at the end of his sentence made it clear to Kal that he already knew the answer and was not happy. Kaleena didn't get the chance to confirm nor deny it as Kanan continued. "As in the Jedi killer."

"What?" Ezra and Zeb's simultaneous exclamation went unnoticed as the blind man was still able to stare someone down.

"Yes." Her voice was minuscule and barely audible, but she was actually scared. For once in her life, Kaleena was actually genuinely scared of something. She wasn't afraid of a potential fight, no. She was afraid they wouldn't talk to her again.

Kanan's jaw was set. While he couldn't see her, he could feel her feelings and emotions. While he was disappointed, she didn't deserve true anger. She was young, just like Ezra. Why did the newest generation of Jedi have to befriend known Jedi killers? First Ezra with a Sith and now Kaleena with a bounty hunter. Kanan relaxed his jaw, sighing. "Can I ask why?"

"He-I don't know. I guess he-okay, look." After stumbling over her thoughts and words, Kal looked sternly at the three. "I don't know why I decided to go with Boba after learning he has killed Jedi. But I do know that I was trapped in an endless cycle on Coruscant and he got me out. He taught me how to shoot. He taught me more ways to fight. He's actually shown genuine worry and concern over me. He's kind of like a father to me now."

Kal sighed and rubbed her eyes. "If it makes you feel better, since we've met he's had a chance to kill a Jedi, and he didn't. And I'm not talking about me." She recalled the day they met when the Devaronian she shot had tried to buy off Boba by telling him about a Jedi on the planet. He hasn't mentioned it since, but Kal knew he hadn't killed someone that day. Whether the person was actually a Jedi or not was irrelevant.

The point was that Boba wasn't an absolutely terrible person with no mercy. Kaleena knew that. Now she needed her friends to know that, too. Not to mention, at this moment, Kal was fairly certain that he'd never killed any Jedi and just got the nickname "Jedi-killer" because he helped the Empire hunt them down, who were then the ones that killed them, but Boba himself hadn't actually killed any.

"Okay," Ezra said, perking up quickly. Zeb and Kanan turned to him, both with varying levels of confusion. "What? She trusts him, we trust her, so why shouldn't we trust him, too?"

"He's not a merciless killer. I'm telling you."

Hera and Kanan walked Kaleena to Commander Sato in the middle of the base. All three stood tall and confident. While Kanan was still wary, Hera knew Kal would make a good informant, like Ahsoka. And that's exactly what Hera told Sato. That Kaleena should become a new Fulcrum.


	17. Temple

1 BBY

The Force lifted and placed droid parts together in swirling, quick motions. The young female Jedi sat with her eyes closed and legs crossed as she used the Force to reconstruct a droid out of droid parts she had collected. A Prowler 1000 seeker droid. An NR-1100 slicer droid. An ID10 seeker droid. An R5 astromech droid. The parts she had scavenged were from irreparable droids and she was going to need a completely new droid with specific tools to complete her new mission.

Months had passed with Kaleena sending the rebellion information. She had visited Chopper Base a few times before it was found by the Empire. Now she reported to the main headquarters on Yavin 4. With no new bounties, Kal decided to do the one thing she had wanted to do since she had first visited Coruscant. She was going to break into the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Offhandedly, Boba had mentioned to her one day that a bounty hunter by the name of Cad Bane had successfully managed to avoid the Jedi and security in the Temple and make it all the way to the Holocron Vaults during the Clone Wars. He didn't know why but he knew that the bounty hunter had evaded security by going through the air ducts. Kal just had to figure out how to get in without having to flash her lightsaber. One way to do that was to cut through the exterior wall with a droid.

Kaleena had always wanted her own droid. Her father had told her about an astromech that his padawan had during the Clone Wars that was strangely perceptive and that the two had had a bond. It was like having a pet without the feeding, shedding, and waste parts.

Her excitement was present in her work, the Force picking up on her impatience. But Kal had enough experience with working with the Force even when her emotions were all over the place.

The finished work was a droid the size of a general seeker droid, with a fusion welder, electro-shock prod, scanner, slicing capabilities, searchlights, and a buzz saw. The mix-match of metal parts made it look like a child's art project, but it was nothing a paint job couldn't fix. As the new droid sprung to life and hovered in the air, Kal smiled and programmed its comm to link with hers.

The mechanisms beneath the glass eye shifted and turned as it focused on the surroundings before turning to Kal. The modified droid beeped and whistled so Kal stared down at her comlink, the translation flashing before her eyes.

"You are onboard the _Slave 1_. I am Kaleena. I created you," Kaleena said slowly, unsure of how the droid would process anything with such a strange mixture of parts. After another beep and look at the translation, Kal was confident in her creation. Now she needed to test it. Grabbing one of the larger pieces that were unused, she held it up. "Cut through this." The droid immediately used the fusion welder to cut through the metal by super-heating it, as her lightsaber would do but slower and smaller. "Perfect. We have a mission, little buddy."

After strapping on her armor and blasters and sliding her lightsaber underneath her long coat and clipping it on her thigh harness, Kal called for the droid and it landed on her shoulder. The familiar weight of her lightsaber hanging was comforting as she was about to go break into the Holocron Vaults. She had to know what was in there. Her backpack held another bag. She had to grab as many holocrons as she could. If there were any still in there. Who knew what the Emperor had ordered be done to the Jedi artifacts. She had to find out.

Exiting her room, Boba was waiting for her by the loading ramp of his ship. His arms were crossed and his face set in stone. "I can't believe you're doing this." Boba took a deep breath before sighing. "If you need anything, anything, call me. I mean it. Anything."

Kaleena nodded curtly, her own expression forming a look of determination. "I will."

"Good luck."

With Boba's final words still hanging in the air, Kal left the ship. As she stayed in the shadows the whole trip to the Temple, the Coruscant sky grew darker and darker, just like she wanted. It had to be dark when she got there so no one would notice her scaling the side of the Temple.

Kaleena stood at the base of the Temple and reached out with the Force. There were very few life forms inside the Temple, the majority outside patrolling. The other life forms seemed to be unmoving, perhaps guarding things. She took off her backpack and undid the top, letting her new droid out. It hovered next to Kal, awaiting her orders.

"Remind me to name you," she muttered mostly to herself. Regardless, the little droid replied with beeps, indicating it understood. "Fly up and find the best spot to cut through to enter the ventilation shafts. Don't be caught."

The droid whistled excitedly and zoomed up the side of the Temple. Kal watched it disappear into the shadows and waited as patiently as she could for the droid's okay through her comlink. After a few minutes, the droid's message beeped through, translated into an all-clear signal.

Kal took a few steps back watching her footing and the Temple's outer walls. She drew in a deep breath and used the Force to leap upwards, taking two bounds to scale the Temple to find the location of her droid. It floated quietly outside one of the many forcefields littering the outside of the individual airshafts. Kal made a small sound of surprise at the sight as she thought she was going to have to cut into something. Next to each patch of fields was a control panel that seemed to only allow the Force to unlock it. Kaleena waved her hand, turning the lock to turn off one individual forcefield.

The forcefield flickered off and Kaleena walked through the opening, followed by her droid. After a few moments, the forcefield turned back on, illuminating the dark with its blue like the rest of the segments. As Kal watched the energy field flicker, she briefly wondered if the whole temple security was based around the Force. It would make sense, she supposed. Having every lock and key be only accessible through the Force would allow for a very narrow range of people allowed in. But then the question remains: how did a random bounty hunter during the Clone Wars gain access?

Shaking her head, Kaleena turned to the hatch to the air duct. It was easy to open, especially with the Force. The difficult part was supposed to be the energy field. She climbed into the tunnel, her droid floating in behind her, and she used the Force to close the opening again.

The shaft sloped downwards and led to a drop. Without even looking, Kal knew large industrial fans were situated below. They were as loud as a starship taking off. She glanced downwards, took a deep breath, and jumped. On her way down, she landed and jumped from multiple support surfaces that lined the air duct, finally landing on the last one before the first fan. The droid slowly flew down making Kal wish she could fly. The Force was great and softened every landing, but it would still be cool to actually fly.

Using the Force to manually override the fan, the turbine slowed to a stop, allowing Kaleena and her droid to pass through safely. She subsequently did the same for the second fan, quickly spotting a security measure between the two fans in the way of a motion sensor. Once everything was off and the two were through. Before the third fan were multiple tunnels in which Kal followed the one that the Force was telling her to go through.

Next was a series of tunnels that Kal navigated quickly. She knew she was going the correct way when she came across a hatch that led to a tunnel filled with red lasers. It was almost as if whoever designed the Jedi Temple didn't realize just how easy it would be for someone who was a Force-user. It really said something towards the sheer arrogance of the Jedi Order, thinking they would never be infiltrated by one of their own, a Sith, or a Dark Jedi. The lasers were simply too easy to pass through by turning off their switches with the Force.

Directly outside of the vault was another set of lasers and a control panel that was, yet again, able to be unlocked with the Force. Kal rolled her eyes. "Sorry, buddy, it looks like I didn't really need you after all," the young Jedi told the droid. The droid beeped sadly. Kal didn't need to read the translation to know that the droid thought it failed at its job. "Don't worry, this just wasn't the best first job for you. There will be plenty more, I'm sure."

Kal scoffed to herself as she noticed the presence of scorch marks surrounding the vault door and control panel. While the hardware was fixed, it wasn't fully cleaned. It was almost a testament to the success of the bounty hunter and failure of the Jedi security. Regardless, Kaleena shut down the final laser grid and opened the vault.

The room glowed a bright blue as the holocrons flickered from their untouched spaces. Jedi Holocrons lined the walls of the vault as well as a central pillar. Kal's jaw dropped at the number of holocrons present. She almost couldn't believe it. This was only one vault though. The term was vaults for a reason. There were two circular doors present, undoubtedly leading either out of the vault or to another one.

"Start gathering holocrons." Kal took out her second bag from the first and set both on the floor open. The droid immediately heeded her command and began zooming around, gathering holocrons from around the vault seemingly at random. Kal didn't need to know how the droid was choosing holocrons, but she did go to one of the doors.

Using the Force to open the door, she walked through the hall and was led to another door. After opening it, more holocrons were seen glowing in the darkroom. Kal bit her lip as her eyes began to tear up.

What was she doing? She was stealing from her own people. But were they truly her people? And was she actually stealing from them? Who knew what the Empire would do with the knowledge that these holocrons held if they were able to access them. Their data could be used for evil. If anything, the Jedi Order should be glad she was taking them from the Empire's clutches. But then why was she getting emotional at the sight of them?

Kaleena knew why. It shouldn't be her in the vaults. It should be Kanan. It should be Ezra. It should be Ahsoka. It should be her dad. Not her. She wasn't a Jedi. Not anymore. Not with how her life was going. She captured and killed people for a living. She relished in simple pleasures like alcohol and sex when she wasn't on a job. She was too attached to Boba and Ezra. She actually cared about how she looked. She actually cared about money. She allowed her emotions to get the better of her at times. She wasn't a Jedi, not by a long shot.

She wasn't a Sith either. Nor a Dark Jedi. She didn't focus her energy on the Dark Side of the Force. She didn't hurt innocents. Her lightsaber crystal didn't bleed. She still used the Force for good despite also using it for personal gain. She wasn't corrupted, but she wasn't pure. She wasn't Maul, but she wasn't her dad. So what was she?

"Please help me." Her small voice could've been as loud as cannon fire or as quiet as a feather and it wouldn't have mattered. The vault heard.

The holocrons in the vault seemed to dim as one brightened in the far corner of the room. It whispered to her. It called to her. The Force guided her. Kal's footsteps were light as she moved across the floor, her gaze unwavering from the bright holocron. Her thin fingers reached out and pressed the holocron, causing it to pop out of place. Kal held it in her hand, almost unsure of what to do. This holocron was special for some reason, even if it was only special to her.

The beeping of her new droid snapped her out of her stupor as it whistled and beeped while flying by, still collecting random holocrons and bringing them back to her bags. The other holocrons no longer seemed dim in comparison as she grabbed a few more holocrons and walked back to the initial vault.

Kal placed the strange holocron in a separate pocket than the others to make sure she remembered which one she was drawn to, even though she knew she would be able to pick it out of a thousand identical holocrons. The bags were almost full as the droid filled them to the brim. They were packaged as neatly as possible in order to carry as many as possible, so Kal was grateful for the droid.

"Come on, it's time to leave. You'll have to follow since you won't fit in the bags." The droid didn't seem to care that it would have to fly all the way back to the Slave 1. Kal shouldered both bags, made sure they were fully secure, and left the vault, locking, sealing, and reigniting every security measure on her way back to the outside of the Temple.

Not much time had passed since they had entered the Temple, so the Coruscant sky was still dark. It was a long trek back to the ship as Kal took extra precautions now that she was carrying precious cargo.

Small thuds from her boots were heard as she entered Boba's ship and closed the loading ramp. Kal entered the galley where Boba was eating a late-night snack, waiting for her to return before tucking in for the night.

The elder bounty hunter's head popped up as she entered. "How was it?" he asked. The bags landed harshly on the table in front of Boba as Kal set them down. She unlaced the shoulder bag to allow Boba to see the contents. The large number of holocrons surprised Boba, his eyes widening at the sight. He glanced between the two bags and Kal. "You never did tell me why you wanted to raid the Temple."

Kal's shoulders drooped as her chin raised. She trusted him with her life. How could she allow herself to have such a big secret from him? It was one thing to be a spy for the Rebel Alliance. He didn't have any serious ties to either side of the fight, so that didn't truly matter. But the fact that she was Force-user? What if they found themselves in a situation where they were pinned down? A bounty hunter needed to be able to trust the ones closest to them if they so choose. She hadn't given him the option. She needed to.

"There's something I need to show you." Kal plucked one of the holocrons from the open bag and held it in her open hand. She didn't know what was stored on this one, but she was about to find out. With Boba.

The Force flowed through her as she opened the Jedi holocron. The corners turned and pried away from the main part of the cube as it floated a few inches above her outstretched palm.

The hologram flickered to life, revealing a male Mirialan in traditional Jedi robes. "It is clear that certain beings are born with a higher awareness of the Force than others," he explained. "A higher midi-chlorian count in cells indicates a greater chance that the being is Force-sensitive. Studies of their brains during life and after death show that their brains are different than non-Force-sensitive beings. However, the study of midi-chlorians is ongoing as our scientists work to figure out potential causes for certain beings have higher counts than others." The recording stopped as the message came to an end, the holocron returning to its dormant state.

Kaleena chanced a peek at Boba. His expression was difficult to read. As she set the holocron down on the table, she turned her body towards him, trying to read his emotional state. She almost lost her footing as Boba grabbed her main blaster and pointed it at her, but her hand naturally found its way to her lightsaber that was hiding under her coat, igniting it and quickly lowering herself into a defensive position closer to the floor.

"Boba," she said slowly, "lower the blaster."

"You're a Jedi, why should I?" Boba replied. The harshness in his voice more evident than any on his face. He was trying his hardest to stay calm. He didn't want to do this, she could tell. "The Jedi have brought nothing but despair to my family. Why shouldn't I shoot?"

"I'm not a Jedi." Kal knew it in her heart that she wasn't a Jedi. She may be able to use the Force, but she was not a Jedi. She knew that now.

Boba gripped the blaster tighter. "Then what are you?"

"I-I don't know, but I'm definitely not a Jedi. I can use the Force, but that doesn't make someone a Jedi. Boba, I swear to you. I'm still the same Kaleena you found lost on Coruscant." When Boba made no obvious move to lower the blaster, Kal tried again. "Boba, please. Hear me out."

His hand slowly lowered the blaster, pointing it at the floor. Boba was still ready though. "You have five minutes."

Kal sheathed her lightsaber at his words and, as a show of good faith, set it on the table instead of continuing to hold it. "I'm the daughter of a Jedi. He trained me in hiding in the Outer Rim. But I left him. I didn't like the Jedi teachings, and I wanted nothing to do with the Jedi Code. The first chance I got, I hightailed it out of there. I wanted the freedom to do what I wanted. When I learned about the vaults though, I had to preserve the memory at least. For my dad." Kal took a moment from her rant to pause, breathe, and figure out what she else she wanted to say. "When-when we met, when Fry bargained for his life and called you a Jedi-killer, I wanted to run then, but I didn't. I decided to trust you. Please trust me now."

A sigh escaped Boba's lips as he listened to her words. He knew she was telling the truth. He knew she was being earnest. Boba set the blaster on the table as well. "I'm sorry."

"I know you wouldn't have been able to pull the trigger." Both Kal and Boba held pitiful, sad smiles. "Who was it?"

"What?" Boba asked, not sure what exactly she was asking.

"Who was the Jedi that hurt you?"

Boba's jaw clenched and he sat roughly down in the closest chair. "That's a long story."

Kal sat in the chair across from him. "I've got time."

He shook his head a little, surprised at himself for even considering telling someone other than his main crew about his past. But Kal was now a part of his crew. He couldn't deny that. She trusted him with her secret, the least he could do was trust her with his. "I'm a clone."

Kal's mouth gaped slightly, unsure of what to say. "I don't quite understand what that-"

"No, just listen," he interrupted. Her jaw clamped shut as she looked at Boba expectantly. "I'm a clone of my father, Jango Fett, just like the clone army the Republic used during the Clone War. Except I wasn't given a lot of modifications that they were. I was made specifically to be Jango's son. Then when I was young, right at the start of the war, a Jedi named Mace Windu killed him. I saw it happen. I swore vengeance. I did a lot of things trying to kill Windu and put innocents in harm's way. I regret some things, but I'll never forgive the Jedi responsible. I hope you can understand that."

Kal nodded solemnly. "I do. I hope you can understand that I'm not going to be selling these holocrons."

Boba snorted and nodded. "I do."

She grinned brightly at him, happy that they had worked everything out. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to retire for the night. You can ask me whatever you want tomorrow." Kal stood from the chair and grabbed the two bags and her weapons. She started to leave.

"Get a good night's sleep, Kaleena."

Kal glanced back at her mentor. "You too, Boba." With that, she left the galley and went to her own room. She set the bags of holocrons of the floor, took off her armor, weapons, boots, and overcoat. Then she grabbed the holocron that was stilling coaxing her to open it and sat in the middle of the room.

The holocron bathed the already dark room in an unnatural blue light as she opened it with the Force. Opening her eyes, Kal watched the figure in the holocron. She was an older human female adorned in simple robes. "The so-called Gray Jedi have been with us since the beginning. Although they do not break with the Jedi orthodoxy concerning the dark side, they bristle when asked to take orders from the Council. Gray Jedi make compromises, cut corners, and hide their actions from scrutiny, all under the assumption that their experience makes them authorities on policy. They are mavericks who are difficult to control, but can be valued members of the Order after they have been persuaded to follow the established hierarchy." Her stern gaze then transformed into someone new.

This figure was a member of an alien species that Kal didn't recognize. He had multi-colored skin, no pupils, and strangely elaborate robes with designs that Kal also didn't recognize. "There is no light nor dark. There is no right or wrong. The Mystics visions are absolute. No Voss is above vision. The Mystics are never wrong. The Mystics are not Sith nor Jedi. The Voss are neutral." His words seemed to jump from idea to idea, not making complete sense. Kal wondered if his entire species spoke like him.

A new figure then replaced the strange alien. A young Nautolan male in light-colored robes. "Gray Jedi are those who, though having completed the teachings of the Jedi, operate independently and outside of the Jedi Council. They are typically seen as misguided, though they have not necessarily succumbed to the dark side."

The last figure to speak was a human male with two lightsabers and a few facial scars. There was a wise aura around him, wiser than the others that had spoken. "There is no good without evil, but evil must not flourish. There is passion, yet peace. There is serenity, yet emotion. There is chaos, yet order. There is no dark side, nor light side. There is only the Force."

The recording ended and the holocron closed, landing neatly on the floor in front of Kal. What exactly was the holocron trying to tell her? How was this supposed to help her? All the holocron showed her was alternative views towards using the Force.

She gasped audibly and jumped up, grabbing the holocron as she did. Of course, that's what it was telling her. She had wanted to know what she was. She knew she wasn't a Jedi. She knew she wasn't a Sith. She knew she wasn't a Dark Jedi. The holocron was telling her what she was, something she hadn't even heard of before. She was neutral. She was a Gray Jedi.


	18. Flying Solo

1 BBY

Kal woke up to the sound of the ship starting up. Rubbing her eyes, she climbed out of bed, threw on clothes haphazardly, and made her way to the cockpit to see what Boba was up to.

In the pilot's chair was Boba, already dressed in his armor with his helmet sitting on the chair next to him. As he heard Kal's sluggish footsteps approach, he turned around in the chair. "Jabba the Hutt has a job. He wanted to hire me but I'm already working on something."

Kal's face pinched. "You mean we're on a job," she tried to correct, distinctly remembering they were both working on tracking the same bounty.

"No, I'm on a job," Boba stated sternly with no room for an argument no matter how badly Kal wanted to retort. "You're going to do the job for Jabba in my place. He's already expecting you."

She knew who the Hutts were. How could she not? She grew up on Tatooine and spent some time on Coruscant. Even if she hadn't become a bounty hunter, her past had already distinctly laid out her knowledge of the Hutt Cartel. And she definitely did not want to work for him. Nevertheless, Boba volunteered her services. If that meant working for a slimy alien, she would. For Boba. Only for Boba. "What's the job?" she asked as she picked up his helmet and sat on the chair.

Boba watched as Kal turned the helmet a few times. "I don't know. He was going to tell me face to face. He's being strangely secretive about it and was adamant that I be the one to go, but I told him you have my faith."

Looking up from the green Mandalorian helmet, Kal's face pinched again. "I don't know if that's scary or comforting."

The man chuckled. "You'll be alright."

It was nice to hear that Boba had faith in Kal's abilities. "Fine, where am I going?"

The ship jolted as it rose from the ground and the landing mechanisms retracted. "Jabba is on Tatooine. That's where you'll meet him, at his palace."

Kal's head snapped towards Boba. "What?"

"He has a palace." Boba's simple innocence to what she was asking at times was nice. He was more focused on a palace than on a terrible planet.

"Yeah, yeah, I got that. Don't expect anything less than that for a Hutt. But Tatooine?"

Boba's far-away look of musing donned his expression. "I guess I've always considered the location strange too since the planet is so dry, but yes, he's on Tatooine." At her silence, he glanced away from the windshield that now showed stars. They were about to enter hyperspace. "Why, what's wrong?"

A sense of dread filled her stomach. "It's-it's nothing. Just never thought I'd go to that dustball."

Although Boba could tell something else was wrong, he didn't want to pry too much. The last time he had asked her questions about her father and training as a Jedi, she clammed up when beings pressed for details. She was about to go do her first job for a Hutt. She didn't need to be second-guessing anything. The stars blurred together as the _Slave 1_ entered hyperspace, making the jump to Tatooine.

Kal left Boba's presence to get fully dressed. Her boots were laced over her tights. Her shorts were secured by the harness that held her Padawan braid and kyber crystals. Her tank top fit snuggly around her torso. Ever since revealing to Boba her training as a Jedi, she had clipped her lightsaber to the harness so she could have it with her at all times. Her long, black overcoat covered it easily along with a small blaster that was clipped to her other hip. Around her waist, securing her coat, was her utility belt. Two small sporting blasters were attached on each side. The last piece of her ensemble was her armor. One leather bracer that had her comlink on her right forearm. Durasteel armor covering her left shoulder, bicep, forearm, and fist. Kal picked up her heavy blaster from its place on a chair. She was ready for her introduction to the Hutt Cartel.

* * *

The _Slave 1_ docked in Mos Espa. Kal resisted the urge to cringe at the feeling of wind-blown sand as she walked down the loading ramp. At the top of the ramp was Boba giving her a salute. He had already given her the spiel about doing business with a Hutt: be polite and courteous, only speak when spoken to, don't question the job, do the job quickly and efficiently, don't negotiate the pay. It was almost the exact opposite of what should be done with almost any other employer, but she knew why. The Hutts were not known for their patience and understanding.

The droid, who Kal decided to name Gray after her revelation and its new matching paint job, beeped sadly as they walked through the bustling port city. Kal rented a speeder in order to make it to Jabba's Palace on the outskirts of the Dune Sea. She had a slight urge to go see her dad, but she couldn't make herself do it. She was hired for a job. She had to go meet her employer.

Her hair whipped in the wind as she flew across the sand towards the gangster's palace. It truly was a palace. It was tall, imposing, and stuck out like a sore thumb against the desert and sky. Where else would a powerful member of the Hutt Clan live?

Other speeders were located outside of the palace, so Kal parked near them and made her way up to the front door. There was no doorbell or knocker. The door barely even looked like a front door, just a large piece of metal bigger than a garage door. Kal decided to give knocking a try but barely made it close enough to try before a small hatch opened and a droid gate watcher poked through.

" _Who are you?_ " the droid asked in Huttese.

"Kaleena Aput," Kal replied. " _Boba Fett sent me to meet with Jabba about a job_." The familiar tone of Huttese had a fairly soothing effect on her nerves. At least she was comfortable with something about Tatooine.

The droid slid back into the door and the small hatch sealed shut. For a moment, everything was silent. Kal almost believed she wouldn't be allowed entry. But shortly after, the creaking of the large door could be heard as it slid upwards slowly. The thing needed to be greased. The bright twin suns of Tatooine bathed the inside of the palace with light as Kal ducked under the slow-moving door to enter a grand hall. The floor was covered in sand as she walked, passing Gamorean guards on her way. The door fully closed with a loud crash as a pale Twi'lek male dressed in dark robes hurried up to her.

"De wanna wanga," the Twi'lek greeted. He was most likely Jabba's majordomo.

Kal bowed her head. "H'chu apenkee." His expression shifted into a slight surprise as though he hadn't believed that she would be able to speak Huttese. Obviously, she did since she made it past the door. Unless the gatekeeper had a Basic setting that Kal was unaware of. But she knew that the greeter most definitely knew Basic, so Kal switched to it. "Boba Fett sent me to do a job in his place."

"Follow me. Jabba wants to meet you." The majordomo waved his hand as he turned around. Kal followed the Twi'lek deeper into the palace to Jabba's throne room. The room was lively, filled with music and chatting guests. The majordomo indicated for Kal to stand in the middle of the room, in front of the Hutt that sat on the throne with a scantily clad human female, as he went to speak to him.

Jabba the Hutt gestured for the band to stop playing the moment he spotted Kal. It took all her will not to freeze or look uncomfortable. She was a professional bounty hunter. She had no reason to be worried. Even if she was currently standing in front of a powerful gangster in the middle of a room filled with assassins, smugglers, and other bounty hunters. Kal made sure her stance was relaxed, holding her heavy blaster rifle downwards with her left arm folded over it. She didn't want to look threatening.

" _You are the one sent by Boba Fett_." With Jabba's words, the whole room grew even quieter. No one was whispering in hushed tones or chatting flamboyantly. Everyone's eyes were on her.

" _Yes_."

Jabba hummed as he studied her. " _He spoke highly of you_. _What is your name?_ "

"Kaleena Aput."

" _You are the one who took down Safonne Pendon, are you not?_ "

Kal knew she shouldn't have been surprised that the Hutt knew about that bounty, but she still couldn't help it. She worked with the great Boba Fett. There was no way people should recognize her name. " _Yes, I am_."

A deep-throated laugh erupted from the Hutt. " _You will serve me well_." His thick fingers pointed towards her, majordomo took his cue.

"Boska!" the majordomo ordered, waving for her to go with him. Kal lifted the blaster, resting it on her shoulder as she followed the Twi'lek to a smaller, separate chamber while the sounds of music filled the throne room again. Inside the smaller room were a human male and a Wookiee lounging on the seats.

The man sat up as they entered the room. His eyes narrowed at Kal before he turned to the Twi'lek. "Bib, I thought we were working with Boba Fett?" he asked. His deep, sultry voice was filled with skepticism.

"There's been a change of plans," the Twi'lek answered. Kal wanted to laugh at his name, Bib, but she dared not to in his presence. "This is his associate. She'll be taking his place." Without more explanation, Bib left the room, leaving Kal with two strangers.

The Wookiee howled and seemed to laugh, but not at her. "Yeah, yeah, Chewie, I know," the man grumbled before grinning at her. "Han Solo. I'm the captain of the _Millennium Falcon_. This is Chewbacca. You are?"

"Kaleena." Her response was quick and concise. She just wanted to finish the job she was hired to do. "What's the job?"

"What, your buddy Fett didn't tell you?" Han's cynicism, sarcasm, and obvious dislike of Boba made her want to punch him already.

Kal's eyes closed a little, glaring at him. "He doesn't know either." Han wanted to say something rude or sarcastic back, but Chewie interrupted him before he could. "Sorry, I don't know Shyriiwook." She meant it. She was actually sorry that she couldn't understand what the Wookiee was saying. From her shoulder, Gray whistled and beeped. Kal brought the rifle down from her shoulder and looked at her wrist to read the translation. "I'm supposed to be a bodyguard?" Kal looked directly at her droid. "I don't remember programming you to understand Shyriiwook. That doesn't matter. What am I supposed to be guarding?"

Han ignored the interaction with the droid, going straight to the point. "Jabba wants us to smuggle something past an Imperial blockade. First, we need to pick it up from an Imperial occupied planet. Chewie is too easily noticeable and the Empire doesn't like aliens, so he'll be staying with the _Falcon_ while you and I get the shipment. You'll also man the guns while we go through the blockade. Your accent might also help."

"When do we leave?"

* * *

Kal returned the rented speeder before joining Han and Chewie on their ship. She immediately regretted taking in the job as she saw the condition of the freighter. But she sucked it up. Her, Han, and Chewie couldn't be at each other's throats during this job. It required cooperation otherwise they would fail and not get paid. Not to mention, Jabba probably had plenty of pilots on his payroll. There was no way he'd hire an unreliable smuggler.

Han and Chewie were priming the ship for takeoff as she found her way to the cockpit. The ship as a whole seemed more like a home than Boba's ship. Granted, Boba wasn't a very sentimental person. Han glanced back at Kal when she walked in. "Strap yourself in, we're about to take off."

She didn't reply but heeded his words. She sat in the chair behind Chewie, set her blaster rifle on the floor next to her, and buckled the seat belt. Kal was glad something at least seemed to work on the ship. The ship creaked as it lifted off the ground, making Kal grip the seat below her and glance around the cockpit, slightly scared she signed her death warrant by boarding the ship.

Han flew the ship out of the hangar bay and into the sky, leaving Tatooine. As they entered hyperspace, Han turned around in his chair. "This time tomorrow, we'll be getting paid," he said optimistically.

An eyebrow raised as Kal glanced over the man. "You're strangely certain."

He waved his hands. "Well, what can I say? Gotta believe in your skills or you'd never get anything done." Han then hopped out of his chair and left the cockpit, heading towards the lounge.

The girl turned to the still seated Wookiee. "Is he always that infuriatingly arrogant?" she asked the hairy alien. Chewie shrugged his shoulders and nodded while making a few small noises. Kal didn't need a translation to know what that meant. "Hm. How'd you avoid the Empire anyway? I thought most of the Wookiees were enslaved." Apparently, that was the wrong thing to ask. Chewie roughly stood with a growl and hurried out of the cockpit, most likely to find Han. Gray beeped, so Kal read the translation. _They are_. She frowned. "Remind me to ask Boba if he added additional programming without my consent."

It couldn't be a coincidence that Kal took Boba's place to work with Han Solo and Chewbacca, especially when her droid was programmed with a language that Chewie spoke and that she herself hadn't programmed Gray to understand. Boba had known more about the mission than he let on. But why hadn't he told her? If it had anything to do with Han's obvious disdain towards the Mandalorian, she would have understood if Boba simply didn't want to work with him.

"Send a message to Boba," she ordered Gray. "Call him a liar."


	19. Charter of the Year

0 BBY

Pain surged up Kal's spine as she was thrown off the bunk bed onto the hard, metal floor of the _Millennium Falcon_ , effectively waking her up from her slumber. Dressed only in a skimpy tank top and shorts, she pulled herself off the floor and trudged angrily towards the cockpit as she felt the ship take off quickly.

"Han!" she howled, hair whipping behind her as she entered through the already open hatch.

"Go back to sleep, Kal," Han dismissed. "I'm kinda busy."

Kal looked out the window to see the onset of stars. "Where are we going?" She gripped the back of Han's chair.

Han didn't get the chance to reply to her as Chewie spoke. Han looked at the scanners. "Looks like an Imperial cruiser. Our passengers must be hotter than I thought."

"Passengers?"

Again, Kal's question went unanswered as Han stood from his seat. "Try and hold them off. Angle the deflector shield while I make the calculations for the jump to light speed." Kal moved out of Han's way so he could make the calculations, going behind Chewie instead, hoping she'd finally get an answer. Han then sat back in the pilot seat. "Stay sharp. There's two more coming in; they're going to try to cut us off."

As he spoke, the passengers entered the cockpit. Kal froze in place behind Chewie as she recognized the older passenger.

"Why don't you outrun them? I thought you said this thing was fast," the younger male complained. His shaggy blond hair and desert clothes immediately pegged him as a moisture farmer, but why he was with Obi-Wan Kenobi was the real question that plagued Kal's thoughts. Her father recognized her as well but didn't say anything due to Kal turning away, not making eye contact.

Han was already exasperated with the boy, unaware of the inner turmoil his female friend was experiencing. "Watch your mouth, kid, or you're going to find yourself floating home. We'll be safe once we make the jump to hyperspace. Besides, I know a few maneuvers. We'll lose 'em." The two Imperial cruisers began firing on the _Falcon_. "Here's where the fun begins."

Kal didn't share his enthusiasm and neither did her father. "How long before you can make the jump to light speed?" Obi-Wan asked, not sure how much he trusted the bucket of bolts that Han called a ship.

"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer."

The ship rocked violently as laser bolts touched down. "Are you kidding? At the rate they're gaining-" The boy didn't get the chance to continue his trail of thought.

"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy!" Han's frustration was evident in his voice. "Without precise calculations, we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"

His question was rhetorical, but Kal wished the newcomer's follow-up question was rhetorical as well instead of naive. "What's that flashing?" The boy pointed at the flashing red light on the dashboard.

Han slapped his hand away. "We're losing our deflector shield. Go strap yourselves in. I'm gonna make the jump to light speed." His suggestion wasn't to Kal, but she listened to him anyway, taking the seat right behind her and tightening the belt right before the stars began to blur, meld, and streak as they entered hyperspace. As the ship went along smoothly, Han turned to his copilot and bounty hunter friend, grinning. "I'm good, huh?"

Kal rolled her eyes. "Please tell me you're joking. The ship did all the work." Chewie howled with laughter as Han lost his grin. "Now, tell me what is going on."

"Those two ran into some Imperial trouble and wanted to get off-world. We're taking them and two droids to Alderaan."

"Why?"

Han incredulously shrugged his shoulders. "Hell if I know. All I know is I'm getting paid seventeen thousand credits to do it, and I really need to pay off Jabba."

Kal snorted, thinking about his royal fuck up that she thankfully hadn't been present for otherwise she may have been blamed as well. "Well, it looks like you chose the wrong charter." Kal then got up and left the cockpit, making her way to the central hold where the passengers undoubtedly were. She needed to see what was so special about this boy if he was able to get her dad off Tatooine when she was unable to achieve such a feat.

As she approached the sitting area, she heard them talking. "The Jedi were able to do wondrous things while using the Force. Your father alone saved millions of lives during the war," her dad said quietly. His father? Who could the boy's father possibly be that was so important? It sure as hell wasn't Master Windu.

Kal made her appearance fully known, walking completely into the central hold. Her dad and the mysterious boy were seated at the dejarik table, along with a golden protocol droid and a blue and white astromech. All four of them seemed to become statues as they looked up at her with varying emotions.

The protocol droid simply seemed confused and bounced back to the land of the living the fastest. "Why, hello there. I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations," he introduced in a chirpy, robotic, male voice. "You must be a companion of Captain Solo's. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." With her mouth slightly agape, Kal was unsure of how to proceed. She couldn't remember a time in which she was spoken to in such a polite tone, despite it being from a droid.

The next one to speak, saving Kal from having to talk to the strange droid, was the boy. He jumped from his seat and held his hand out. "I'm Luke. And you are?" he asked.

Kal glanced between the farmboy's hand and his bright, innocent blue eyes. "Kaleena." Her dark eyes shifted to her father who still sat awkwardly and seemed to have aged quite a bit since she had last seen him. "Can I talk to you in private?" Obi-Wan rose and followed her away from the table and into the hall away from everyone.

Luke slowly lowered his hand as he stared after the girl and the old wizard. "That was weird," he mentioned off-handedly to Threepio and Artoo as he sat back down.

"I completely agree, Master Luke." Luke suppressed a sigh at Threepio's continued use of the term "master" and secretly wished he could hear what Ben and Kaleena were discussing and why she seemed to recognize him.

Kal turned sharply towards her father once she felt they were far enough from prying eyes and ears. "What are you up to?" she demanded harshly, her eyes ablaze. "Who the hell is the boy? Why are you finally leaving Tatooine? I mean, what the hell? I spent years trying to get you to open up to me and to travel the galaxy and I get nothing in return besides being told to be patient and I'm not done with my training and all that bantha fodder. Then I'm barely gone for five minutes and this boy, this random boy gets you off your ass and off Tatooine? Who even is he? Why is he so important, pray tell? And this better be a damn good explanation."

Obi-Wan stared at his now fully grown daughter with sad eyes. He almost regretted letting her leave, but now he could see that she had grown without his help. "Kaleena." He gingerly reached out with his hand, but she pulled away.

"No. Talk."

The old Jedi sighed. "This boy is our last hope."

Kal shook her head vehemently. "What does that even mean? You always speak in riddles. For once, be blunt with me."

"I've told you about my old padawan, yes?"

She almost couldn't believe that he was going to give her a history lesson, but decided to roll with it. "Yes, and how he turned to the dark side."

"Luke is his son."

A light gasp escaped Kal's lips. "He's a Skywalker?" She couldn't believe it. Anakin Skywalker had a son? She knew he was rebellious as her father's padawan, but she never dared think that he'd have gone that far. Anakin truly learned a lot from her dad. "But who-"

"His mother was Padmé Amidala, your mother's friend. She gave birth to twins before she died."

Kal shook off her shock. "But that doesn't quite explain why you never left Tatooine."

Obi-Wan folded his hands in front of him. "I swore to Master Yoda that I'd look over him and train him when the time was right. He must be the one to defeat Darth Vader. And now that the rebellion needs help to defeat the Empire, the Force is telling me that the time is now. We must get these droids to Alderaan. To Bail Organa."

The rebellion needing help was familiar. She was informed through her role as a Fulcrum that they had recently attacked Scarif. Kal almost hadn't believed that intel, but now her father was standing before her. She had to believe it. She had to believe in the cause now more than ever. "What can I do to help?"

* * *

Luke Skywalker stood before the daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi with Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber. Kal leaned nonchalantly against the wall of the ship, criticizing Luke's every move. Despite her father's explanation, she was still bitter. Over the last few hours, she mostly acted as a silent onlooker, after becoming fully clothed and suited up and contacting the rebellion with a message saying she had two very important droids on their way to the soul of the galaxy. Meanwhile, Han avoided the group, Chewie played dejarik with the droids, and Obi-Wan trained Luke in lightsaber combat.

"You're holding it wrong," Kal couldn't help but blurt. She didn't miss the look from Chewie or her dad, continuing to focus on the farmboy anyway.

"And how do you know the correct way to hold a lightsaber," Luke sassed. He didn't mean to sass his new acquaintance. He was frustrated and grieving and accidentally took it out on a stranger.

But Kal appreciated the sass. "I know weapons. And I'm sure I can fight better than you, farmboy." His sass would be met with more sass.

"Please, feel free to demonstrate," Obi-Wan offered, gesturing towards Luke while looking at his daughter.

Kal smirked, taking the challenge. "My pleasure." She marched up to the younger boy and held out her hand. The action surprised Luke; nevertheless, he turned off the saber and handed the hilt to Kal. The weight of the unfamiliar lightsaber felt strange and almost uncomfortable for her, but it was still a lightsaber. Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber at that. She could still wield it.

The blue blade seamlessly ignited as she twirled the saber of pure plasma energy around swiftly and skillfully. The blade was a swirling blue light of destruction that Kal knew how to expertly handle. Kal finished showing off with the ending stance for Soresu. As she stood with the lightsaber ready and her knees still bent, she realized she had almost forgotten how it felt to swing the elegant weapon, how it felt to hold raw energy, and use it. But it wasn't her saber. And the only person on the ship that knew about her Force-sensitivity was her dad.

Quickly sheathing the blade, Kal handed the hilt back to Luke as if it burned it. Luke didn't seem to notice her change in mood. He stood in awe. "How did you-"

"I was trained well." Her words were quick and sharp, with no room for more questions as she walked away. Leaving the group, she found Han walking on the ship's engine. "Isn't it dangerous to work on the engine while we're going through hyperspace?"

Han yelped and dropped a tool at her words. He hadn't heard her approach. The smuggler stuck his head out from the open floor hatch to see his friend leaning against the padded wall. "I thought you were making friends."

"Oh, you know me, Han. I have a hard time making friends."

Snorting at her statement, Han tried not to burst into a full-blown laugh. "You can say that again. You shot me shortly after we met."

Kal dug her heel into the floor. "You're going to hold that against me forever, aren't you?"

"To the grave." Han then pulled himself out of the hole. "I'm going to check on the navi-computer, make sure I didn't mess anything up."

"You mean as usual?"

Han sarcastically laughed as he wandered down the tunnel towards the cockpit. Kal was once again alone and in silence.

As she made her way to the crew's quarters to check on the charging status of Gray, Kal stumbled and propped herself up against the wall. Her heart and stomach swelled in agony. But not physical agony. Terror filled screams echoed through the Force as Kal felt faint, almost unable to keep herself from collapsing. It was deafening and then completely silent. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. And Kal couldn't help but think it had to do with Han's desperate charter.

Kal stumbled to the central hold slowly, after plucking Gray from his charging port, only to see Luke using the lightsaber against a seeker droid and her father sitting down with a grave expression.

"Don't everyone thank me at once," Han said, having just sat down as Kal entered. "We should be at Alderaan about oh-two-hundred hours." No one seemed to care.

Kal met her dad's gaze and she knew he had felt the disturbance as well. At least she wasn't alone with the sad revelation that a massive amount of people had most likely died. Now they needed to figure out how and where.

The droids and Chewie were still playing dejarik. "Now be careful, Artoo," Threepio warned as Artoo made his next move. One of the holographic monsters defeated one of Chewie's. Chewbacca frowned and howled. "He made a fair move. Screaming about it won't help you."

Han decided to impart wisdom to the group. "Let him have it. It's not wise to upset a Wookiee."

Threepio had a lot to learn about the galaxy if he wanted to avoid being blasted or torn apart. "But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid."

"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." There was a flaw in Han's logic. Some droids, especially large ones or assassin droids, would gladly rip people's limbs.

"I see your point, sir." Threepio turned to his astromech companion. "I suggest a new strategy, Artoo. Let the Wookiee win." Gray chirped quietly at the exchange.

Han and Kal ignored the golden droid's scared suggestion and watched Luke as he held the lightsaber. Obi-Wan watched him as well but not with the smugness the other two had. "Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," Obi informed with a slight hand gesture.

Luke didn't pry his eyes away from the seeker droid. "You mean it controls your actions?"

"Partially. But it also obeys your commands."

The spherical droid was suspended in the air and moved, shooting Luke with a red laser. Kal was able to hold in the laugh that Han couldn't. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." Obi-Wan couldn't believe how Kal hung out with such a non-believer the moment Han opened his mouth. Granted, Obi knew that Han probably wasn't aware of her abilities.

Luke turned off the lightsaber and lowered the hilt, looking at the smuggler. "You don't believe in the Force, do you?" the farmboy asked.

Han leaned over in his chair with a smirk. "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other. I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

Obi-Wan's small, quiet smile spoke a thousand words to his daughter. He stood, grabbing a large pilot's helmet. "I suggest you try it again, Luke." Obi placed the helmet on Luke's head, covering his eyes. "This time, let go of your conscious self and act on instinct."

The farmboy chuckled awkwardly. "With the blast shield down, I can't even see. How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." When he had taught Kal that, she was blindfolded and in the dark to make sure she absolutely couldn't see. She liked watching someone else go through the same torture. The seeker droid shot up into the air, took a few moments, and then shot the laser, hitting Luke's shoulder. Luke groaned and stretched his arm, slightly embarrassed at being shot by a droid over and over again in front of a cute girl. But Obi wouldn't let him dwell on anything, especially not said girl's droid beeping that had caused her to shake her head while grinning. "Stretch out with your feelings."

Luke let out a small sigh and readied the saber again. The seeker droid fired a series of laser bolts, all of which Luke deflected. Luke excitedly took off the helmet and looked at his mentor. "You see, you can do it," Obi-Wan praised. Kal clenched her jaw, a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.

"I call it luck," Han called out.

Obi shook his head lightly. "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."

"Look, good against remotes is one thing. Good against the living? That's something else." A small light flashed from the control panel, interrupting the conversation. "Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan." Both Han and Chewie stood to make their way to the cockpit.

Luke looked at Obi-Wan in awe. "You know, I did almost feel something."

Obi clapped Luke on the shoulder. "That's good. You've taken your first step into a larger world." Luke then hurried to the cockpit as well, leaving Obi-Wan and Kal to walk there together. He could feel his daughter's disgruntled mood through the Force. "I've upset you. For that, I am sorry."

Kal didn't reply as they entered the cockpit right after the ship exited hyperspace. The ship shuddered as it was hit by asteroids. "What the-aw, we've come out of hyperspace into a meteor shower. Some kind of asteroid collision. It's not on any of the charts." Han's complaining was warranted as the ship rocked violently.

"What's going on?" Luke asked.

"Our position's correct except no Alderaan." No one fully believed what Han had said.

Luke voiced what everyone was wondering. "What do you mean? Where is it?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there. It's been blown away."

"What? How?"

Obi-Wan answered him. "Destroyed, by the Empire."

The ship moved out of the suspicious asteroid field. "The entire starfleet couldn't destroy a whole planet. It'd take a thousand ships with more firepower than I've. . ." Han trailed off as a light on the dash started flashing. "There's another ship coming in."

"Maybe they know what happened," Luke wondered.

"It's an Imperial fighter." Obi-Wan's blunt remark was unnecessary as everyone spotted the obvious when the ship came into view after shooting at the _Falcon_.

"It followed us."

Luke's severe naivety was beginning to grow on Kal's nerves. "No, that's impossible. The fighters aren't built with hyperdrives and they can't track through hyperspace anyway," Kal explained.

"There aren't any bases around here. Where did it come from?" Han asked no one in particular while following the Imperial TIE fighter.

Luke didn't care about where it came from, only what it could do. "It sure is leaving in a big hurry. If they identify us, we're in big trouble."

"Seriously, what did you get yourselves into?" Kal questioned, glaring at her dad.

"Chewie, jam it's transmissions," Han ordered. "Kal, part of the deal was no questions asked."

Kal didn't care about the deal. She wasn't a part of it. "Part of the deal was also getting them to Alderaan. There is no Alderaan."

Obi-Wan interrupted, bringing the conversation back to the TIE. "A fighter that size couldn't get this deep into space on its own."

"It must have gotten lost, been part of a convoy or something," Luke suggested.

Kal resisted the urge to groan. "Again, not how they work." She should know, she was literally a spy for the rebellion.

"Well, he ain't gonna be around long enough to tell anybody about us," Han reassured.

Luke spotted something before the others did. "Look at him. He's heading for that small moon."

"I think I can get him before he gets there. He's almost in range."

The small moon grew larger as they drew closer. "That's no moon. It's a space station." Kal stared closely at it, trying to see what her father pointed out. Lines became apparent on the large gray sphere in space.

Han, of course, didn't believe him. He took everything the old man said with a grain of salt. "It's too big to be a space station."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke muttered, staring wide-eyed at the now-obvious battle station.

"Han, turn the ship around, now," Kal demanded, her voice as stern as possible.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Han pulled a lever. "Full reverse. Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power." The Falcon was still moving forward. "Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power." Chewie flipped a switch, which didn't seem to achieve anything.

Luke decided to voice his concerns. "Why are we still moving towards it?" Kal was close to knocking him out.

"We're caught in a tractor beam. It's pulling us in."

"There's gotta be something you can do."

"There's nothin' I can do about it, kid. I'm full power. I'm going to have to shut down." Han turned and pressed a button on the control power next to Obi-Wan. "They're not going to get me without a fight."

The group stared at the looming space station as they continued to be pulled in. "You can't win, but there are alternatives to fighting." Obi-Wan's ever-present wisdom sparked an idea in Han.


	20. Infiltrating the Death Star

0 BBY

Heavy Stormtrooper boots thudded across the hard, metal flooring of the _Millennium Falcon_. As they left the ship, going down the ramp, the floorboards popped up to reveal Han, Luke, and Chewbacca in one smuggling hole and Obi-Wan, Kal, and the three droids in the other hole.

"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments," Luke mused to Han.

"I use them for smuggling," Han explained, holding his blaster tightly. He was always ready for a fight. "Never thought I'd be smuggling myself." The smuggler turned to Obi-Wan who stood awkwardly next to his daughter, neither particularly comfortable with being in the same smuggler's locker. "This is ridiculous. Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

Obi-Wan pulled himself out of the smuggling compartment, sitting on the edge. "Leave that to me."

The expression on Han's face betrayed his thoughts more than his words could describe. "Damn fool. I knew that you were gonna say that." Han pried himself out of the hole, both amused and frustrated.

"Who's the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him?"

The old man's riddles never seemed to sit well with anyone who bothered to listen to him. Chewie stuck his head out of the compartment and howled quietly as Han shook his head and patted the Wookiee. The group quietly climbed out of the smuggling holes, Kal staying in hers in order to lift the droids out with the help of Han and Luke. With the droids out, Luke held his hand out to Kal, who swatted it away. Han snorted in amusement at the interaction as Kal pulled herself out, planting her feet securely on the floor.

"We better get ready," Kal said, jutting her thumb towards the lowered ramp. "A scanning crew should be here any moment. Or if you want, Gray and I can handle them alone."

Han rolled his eyes, sauntering over to the ramp with her. "Oh, stuff it, sweetheart. You aren't gonna have all the fun." Chewie's chuckle echoed behind them as he stood with the two. The sound of footsteps alerted the group. The moment two technicians lugging scanning equipment reached the top of the ramp, Kal dug her knee in the closest one's gut and backhanded him with her armored fist while Chewie and Han took out the other one.

"Hey down there!" Han called to the troopers stationed at the bottom of the ramp. "Could you give us a hand with this?"

The troopers took a moment before making their way up the ramp, too. Han then shot them with his heavy blaster. Kal resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend making unnecessary noise as she stared down at the group of dead Imperials. "If we're going to waltz through the station, we're going to need disguises." Her suggestion didn't sit right with anyone. None of them wanted to don clothing worn by a dead person.

"Ugh," Han groaned as he started peeling the armor off of a trooper.

As she began stripping one of the technicians, Kal wanted to laugh at the smuggler's reaction. Neither her father nor Chewbacca donned disguises of their own, leaving that to Luke, Han, and Kal. Two stormtroopers and a technician. Kal stuffed her hair into the technician cap as neatly as she could.

Kal was the first to leave the ship with Gray clinging to her shoulder. As she stood tall at the bottom of the ramp, her dark eyes glanced around the hangar. There was barely any security, perfect for the group. She tugged at the technician sleeve that covered her comlink as Gray whistled. He urged her to the hangar door below a large glass window.

"Will do," she muttered, trusting her droid's scanners. Kal then turned to her friends at the top of the ramp. "Follow me one at a time. Keep an eye out for troopers." She then took off at a brisk pace.

Luke, not having put on his helmet yet, turned to Han. "She acts like she's infiltrated an Imperial base before."

The smuggler shrugged, slipping on his helmet. "She has. She's a bounty hunter, not a smuggler. They get around." Chewie also nodded, being the next one to leave the _Falcon_. After Chewie, Han made his away across the hangar to where Kal and Chewie waited by the door. Kal then hurried to the stairs with Chewie as Obi-Wan rushed across the gap, then the droids. It was perfect timing, too.

Kal, Chewie, and Han were stationed right outside the command office overlooking the hangar as a gantry officer noticed no stormtroopers stationed outside the ship. Luke, exiting the ship, knocked on his helmet, not wanting to speak but hoping they would only think the comlink in the helmet wasn't working.

"Take over," the gantry officer said to his aide. "We've got a bad transmitter. I'll see what I can do." The moment the officer was no longer looking out the window, Luke rushed to Obi-Wan's side who took him up the stairs to meet the rest of the group.

The door to the command office slid open. Chewbacca howled as he flattened the gantry officer and Han blasted the aide. Luke removed his helmet as the door slid shut. The young farmboy wasn't happy. "You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Luke exclaimed.

"Bring them on," Han challenged. "I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."

Artoo beeped, interrupting the bickering. "We found the computer outlet, sir," Threepio translated for Artoo.

"Plug in," Obi-Wan ordered. "He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial computer network." Artoo plugged one of his arms into the computer socket.

After a few seconds, Artoo whistled and beeped. Threepio looked from Artoo to the Jedi Master. "He says he's found the main computer to power the tractor beam that's holding the ship here. He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor." As Threepio said, the computer monitor flashed technical readouts. "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations. A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

Obi-Wan glanced between his daughter, the two men, and the Wookiee. "I don't think you can help. I must go alone."

Kal's jaw clenched at his words as Han made one of his typical remarks. Ignoring the men, she looked at her droid. "Calculate a path for me to the closest terminal," she demanded quietly. Gray hovered over to the computer terminal and plugged in as well, not paying attention to Artoo's minor protest at him invading his space.

"They must be delivered safely or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan. Your destiny lies along a different path than mine. The Force will be with you, always."

Her father's words were sad, but they did nothing to dissuade Kal from speaking up. "I'm going with you."

Obi snapped his head towards her, not happy with her pronouncement. "No, I must go alone." He was standing by the door, ready to go.

Kal's eyes hardened at his stubbornness. "Please let me go with you."

"You must stay here."

"But-"

"No."

"Dad!" she blurted out. She wasn't sure what she was thinking, but it definitely got his attention, along with the others in the room. Her head dipped down for a moment as no one made a sound at the revelation. She'd never told anyone who her father was, just a man she ran away from. No matter what their conclusion was when she told people that she had run away from him, Kal had never been ashamed to be the daughter of the great Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Kaleena held her chin high as her dark eyes met her dad's familiar lightsaber blue eyes. His were sad and wide. He hadn't heard that word in a few years. "One last mission together," she coaxed. "It's what mom would want." Obi-Wan nodded his head, albeit reluctantly. Turning back to Han, Kal spoke. "I'll be back. Stay safe." Gray flitted back to her shoulder, beeping excitedly.

Obi-Wan pressed the button to open the door, and together, father and daughter left the command office. They followed Gray's directions silently as they made their way through the long grey halls. The technician cap itched as they hid while a few troopers marched passed. He glanced at his daughter once the Imperials were gone. "You've grown," he stated offhandedly.

"Obviously. It's been, what, four years? I'm twenty now, not a sixteen-year-old kid." Kal glanced through the hall before gliding into the next one, her father following.

"You'll always be my little girl."

"So not condescending."

"Kaleena-"

The woman stopped in her tracks and turned to her dad. "Stop. Now is not the time to try and make up for everything. We have a mission to complete. We should get to it. We can talk later."

They ducked through more halls and corridors before entering a humming service trench that powered the tractor beam. The trench was hundreds of miles deep. As Kal glanced down the shaft, she wondered how her boys were doing. Han was surely wanting to strangle the farmboy. Chewie would gladly watch it happen. The two Jedi edged their way along the narrow ridge that led to the control panel. As Obi-Wan messed with the switches, Kal plucked the hat off her head and tossed it down the shaft, happy to be rid of it and let her hair free. Her father grinned briefly, but his merriment ended as troopers entered on a different platform. The two hid quietly, Kal placing a hand on Gray as a silent way to tell him not to beep.

As the group of troopers passed by, they made their way to the lower level, entering the trench the same way Obi and Kal did. Obi-Wan raised one of the switches quietly. "Give me regular reports," a trooper ordered.

Some of the troopers left, leaving two behind. "Do you know what's going on?" one of them asked.

"Maybe it's another drill," the other replied.

Kal waved her hand, pointing to the other end of the walkway. The two Jedi quietly inched their way away from the troopers who had turned a little away from them. Obi-Wan waved his hand, moving something in the far corridor to get the attention of the troops.

"What was that?" the second trooper asked, not noticing the Jedi slip out of the trench unnoticed.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

The Jedi glanced at the troopers and each other before leaving completely. Once they were safely away from any Imperials, Kal turned to her father. "I almost forgot how fun this was," she said lightly, a smirk lightening her expression.

Obi sighed, smiling. "You always had a knack for adventure. Come, you should reunite with your friends."

Kal's eyebrows furrowed, not liking his insinuation. "What, and you're not?" she asked.

The Jedi Master glanced around them, not sensing anyone coming there way. "Do you feel that?" Kal took a moment to think, breathing deeply through her nose. She wasn't absolutely certain what he was meaning before her senses honed in on one thing in particular: an eery cold. The young bounty hunter nodded. "Do you have any idea what it is?" Kal didn't want to answer. "It's Vader."

"You said Luke has to face him."

"I know."

The sense of dread filled Kaleena, making her feel like a small child again. "So why do you have to?"

Placing a gentle hand on her upper arm, Obi-Wan offered her a sad smile. "There is no way we all get out of here alive. I know you know that. You must train the boy. I will see you again. The Force will guide us. Go find your friends."

Before Kal turned away, she looked deep into her dad's eyes. There was one more question she had to ask. "Would mom be proud? Of me?"

"She would be proud of you, as I am. I love you, Kaleena. May the Force be with you."

Kal threw herself at her father, holding him tight. His arms embraced her in one last hug. "Always." With that, the two broke apart and tore down opposite directions.

Kal ran as fast and quiet as she could through the halls that lead back to the _Millenium Falcon_. She skidded to a stop at the sight of the mighty Chewbacca. He and Han whipped around, brandishing a bowcaster and blaster, respectively. Kal immediately threw her hands up, staring wide-eyed at Han, Chewie, Luke, and a small woman in white. "Don't shoot!"

Han sighed loudly, lowering his blaster. "You scared me, kid. Why are you still wearing that?" He pointed at the ever-present technician disguise that Kal was still wearing.

"Well, I'm sorry for being too busy to strip," she replied with attitude dripping from her voice. "What's going on?" As Han explained the situation, she unzipped the uniform to reveal her regular outfit.

"We just need to make it to the _Falcon_ , then we're home free. Come on!" The moment the uniform hit the floor, the group took off running down the hall, rounding straight into a group of stormtroopers.

"It's them! Blast them!" a trooper ordered

Han shot first, killing one, before charging at the others with Chewie. "Get back to the ship!" Han yelled. Kal groaned, unclipping her sporting blaster, before chasing after him. She wasn't going to let him get himself killed.

"Where are you going? Come back!" Luke exclaimed, but no one answered as the three rounded a corner.

Han yelled as he ran through the hall, chasing the small group of stormtroopers while brandishing the stolen blaster. Han followed the troopers into a hangar filled with even more troopers, causing him to turn and run after shooting at the Imperials. Kal and Chewie heard the firing before they saw Han barrelling towards them, shooting at the troops that followed. Kal and Chewie shot a few times, following the captain back towards the ship.

The three ran down a long corridor as several troopers chased them. At the end of the hall, the large blast doors began to close, the three barely making it through before it closed completely. The troopers were cut off. The three didn't take any time to catch their breath, hurrying back to the main forward bay. Once back, they leaned against the wall, watching stormtroopers outside the _Falcon_.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" Han muttered. Chewie growled softly in agreement. Luke and the new woman then arrived. "What kept you?"

"We ran into some old friends," the woman replied.

"Is the ship alright?" Luke asked.

Han nodded absent-mindedly as he stared at his baby. "Seems okay, if we can get to it. Did you and the old men get the tractor beam out of commission?" The smuggler looked at the bounty hunter.

"Do you doubt me?" Kal questioned, almost offended. Han didn't reply. Something then seemed to draw the attention of the troops. Whatever it was caused the troopers to leave behind the ship.

"Now's our chance, go!" The group then made a run for the _Falcon_. But Kal and Luke spotted what was happening.

"Ben?" Luke wondered, seeing the lightsabers glow.

Kal frowned at the sight. The dark cloaked figure was holding a blood-red saber. She could feel the anger and hatred radiating off of the Sith Lord. Darth Vader. Luke's father. Kal then felt it better than she saw it. The lightsaber sliced through Obi-Wan Kenobi. Pain tore through her very being as her mouth gaped wide and her eyes filled with tears. She knew it was coming, but knowing was something far different than it actually occurring. Her heart became empty as Han grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the freighter, narrowly avoiding the oncoming blaster fire from the Imperials.

Han shoved her up the ramp as he shot at the troopers, trying to get Luke inside as well. Kal stumbled inside, landing heavily on the cold metal floor. Heart racing, the young woman propped herself up against the padded tunnel walls as Han raced by to the cockpit. Luke shut the ramp and Han took off, flying out of the hangar.

Kal clenched her eyes shut briefly then tore them open. Her legs were practically jelly as she made herself go to the gunports. It wasn't over. They still had to leave the system alive. As she lowered herself into the bottom one, she heard Han climb into the top one. Kal put on the headset while Han did the same.

"You ready?" Han asked. "Stay sharp!"

"Here they come." The new woman's voice echoed through Kal's ear. Who even was that woman? Kal ignored the computer readout in front of her, focusing only on what she could see and feel through the Force to blast away at the incoming TIE fighters. The fighters made a few passes, hitting the _Falcon_ a few times. "We've lost the lateral controls."

"Don't worry, she'll hold together," Han reassured. "You hear me, baby? Hold together." He hadn't meant for anyone to hear him, but Kal definitely did, smirking at his words.

The familiar feel of the gunport was soothing as she and Han shot the fighters into a million pieces. It took a minute, but they were free. Both Han and Kal leaned back in their seats, taking a moment to themselves after the rush of excitement.

Kal glanced around then climbed up and out of the gunport. Han made his way out afterward. At the sight of her expression, Han's smile dropped and he pulled her into a hug. She relaxed in his arms. "I'm not much of a talker, but I'm here if you need it."

A small scoff escaped her. "All you do is talk." Kal pulled away. "But thanks. Why do you smell like sewage?"

His sharp laugh echoed through the hall. "That's a story for later. Go take a breather." He then made his way to the cockpit, leaving Kal alone with her thoughts.

As Kal started towards the crew's quarters, she spotted Luke. The farmboy looked sad, miserable even, like Kal. She wondered just how close he and her dad had gotten. Giving him a quick nod, she rushed passed him. She really needed to use the refresher.


	21. The Return to the Rebellion

0 BBY

Kal couldn't hide in the refresher forever. She knew that. Kal had to return to the group. She knew that. Kal's body and mind ached. She knew that.

Kal didn't know why her father had to die. She didn't know why he sacrificed himself so she and the others could get away. She didn't know why he couldn't have joined her in returning to Han and the rest instead of facing off against his former padawan and friend. She didn't know why she had caused her father so much heartache before, only to have him cruelly taken away before his time. Above all, she didn't know someone could feel so much grief and despair and pain.

No tears fell. An empty shell stared back at Kal as she looked at herself in the mirror. Red, hot blood laced with anger coursed through her veins as she felt the urge to take out her pain on anything, anyone. Her fingers gripped the sides of the sink as her face contorted and twisted. A strangled cry escaped her as her fists slammed into the mirror. Fingers twitching, Kal's back hit the wall and she slid down, ignoring the blood dripping from her curled hands onto the floor.

The door opened, revealing the woman in white. Her twin hair buns were disheveled and her eyebrows were furrowed in concern, having heard the shattering of the mirror from outside. The refresher door closed behind her as she grabbed the nearest hand towel, soaked it in cold water from the sink, and knelt next to Kal on the floor. Kal's hand jerked away as the woman reached out, but the woman in white grabbed Kal's hand anyway and gently began wiping the blood away.

"I'm sorry about your father," the woman said in a calming tone. "Luke thought he was overreacting once he realized that you were probably feeling worse than he."

Kal sucked in a hiss at the stinging of her wounds touching the cold rag. "I'm fine. He can feel whatever he wants." The woman didn't reply, simply bringing her attention to Kal's other hand. The bounty hunter studied the woman. She was young, most likely the same age as Kal. The fineness of the pure white dress hinted at a luxurious, rich upbringing, yet she had joined Han and Luke. She must have been a prisoner aboard the battle station. "What's your name?"

"Leia."

Ripping her hands away from the woman's tender grasp, Kal's eyes widened. "Organa?" Leia nodded in response. "Why are you trying to comfort me? Your whole planet got blown to hell!"

Leia shrugged and sighed. "I've had a few hours to process it."

An incredulous laugh pulsed through the small room. "A few hou-you're joking? You've got to be joking. Your people, your friends, your family: all gone. And you're sitting on the floor of a dingy freighter refresher with a girl you don't know who lost a father she hasn't spoken to in years? You're either a droid with no feelings or extremely skilled at compartmentalization."

While her face didn't show it, Leia was in pain, but she didn't have the time for mourning. "I've still got a mission to complete. I can grieve later."

Every hint of emotion left Kal's expression as her back straightened. "For the rebellion." Leia nodded again. "What's so important about the droids?"

"Artoo is carrying the technical readouts of that battle station." Leia nearly fell backward as Kal hopped up.

The bounty hunter held out her hand to aid the princess. "We've got work to do, princess."

Together, the two left the refresher. Leia followed Kal towards the crew's quarters. "I never got your name," she mentioned as Kal picked up Gray from his charging port.

"Kaleena Aput, but you'll know me as Fulcrum." Kal ignored Leia's small gasp, continuing to send word to Yavin 4 of their imminent arrival.

"You're a Fulcrum? You're part of the Alliance?" Leia asked, folding her arms over her chest. "Your friend didn't seem too happy about our destination. I'm assuming he doesn't know of your involvement?"

Kal set Gray on her shoulder, having finished the encrypted message. "Not many people do, for obvious reasons. Yavin now knows we're coming, better than receiving a random message from an unknown ship. Oh, and Han's a good guy at heart. You've just gotta break the tough-guy exterior." Leia didn't know what to say to that, choosing to follow Kal back to the central hold in silence. Kal couldn't say she enjoyed the woman's company.

The moment they stepped into the central area, Leia posed a question. "How did you join, anyway? Most bounty hunters don't choose sides."

It was a fair question. Bounty hunters tend to belong to the highest bidder, which changed often depending on the situation or the bounty. "Personal ties." Kal raised her hand as Leia opened her mouth. "And I don't mean my dad. I was raised on Tatooine. My dad was biding his time, waiting for the opportune moment. I left and found my own path. Somewhere along the line, I joined up. That's the short story, and that's all you're going to receive for the time being. I don't care who you are or who your family was. I answer to General Dodonna. The only other people I answer to are Mon Mothma and people who have earned my respect. I don't know you, princess, and at the moment, I don't care to.

"There's a fight coming. Four TIE fighters chasing after us was too easy with the massive amount of troopers at the Empire's disposal. I know you know it. They must be tracking us, which means, my dad sacrificed himself for no reason. The rebellion not only lost their biggest supporter with the destruction of Alderaan, but it also lost a great military leader. That battle station, from the moment we land, will know precisely where we are. Now is not the time to be getting to know my life story."

Leia bristled at Kal's hostility but choked down any anger. "I didn't mean to offend. I was simply curious. Your droid, he has the necessary codes needed to send messages to the base on Yavin?" Kal nodded. "Can you make sure they start preparing for battle before we arrive?"

The young Jedi couldn't help but feel the budding of respect towards the princess. Despite Leia's small size, she commanded the attention of everyone around her simply from the way she held herself. Kal raised her chin. "Will do." She held out her hand in front of her. Leia looked at it briefly prior to grasping. The two women firmly shook hands. From the perspective of onlookers, they just ended an argument or a tense conversation, but known to them, they made a friend. Kal fiddled with Gray again, glancing up at Leia. "Anything specific you want done?"

"The preparation of the fighters and the evacuation of all non-essential personnel."

* * *

Kal sat with her tools and her droid in the central hold of the _Falcon_. She was tuning Gray as Han, Chewie, and Artoo worked on the ship. Leia was resting in the crew's quarters after Kal had strongly suggested it or rather demanded it. The princess looked like she was dead on her feet so she didn't protest much. Luke sat dismally in one of the chairs in front of the computer terminal, staring at his father's lightsaber.

She didn't say it, but Kal knew every time Luke looked away from the saber and at her. She found it fairly annoying, but for awhile she didn't feel like speaking first. The young farmboy had many questions racing through his mind. He needed to come out and say them.

Luke opened his mouth, intending to speak, but looked back down at the silver lightsaber hilt in his hands. He did it a few times off and on over several minutes before Kal finally grew fed up with his fear. Jaw clenched, Kal harshly set her tools down on the dejarik table and glared expectantly at the blond boy who had jumped at the sudden noise. "If you're going to speak, speak," she demanded. "Enough of your indecision."

"Sorry," he muttered, sheepishly slinking further back into the chair. "You grew up on Tatooine?"

Kal narrowed her eyes further and tilted her head. "That's what you're going to ask?"

Luke's eyes widened as he shook his head, not understanding females at all. "You said to speak and now you're criticizing me for speaking?" Going from gentle and kind Aunt Beru to harsh and hostile Kaleena was stranger than anything he'd gone through before, including literally everything fun and dangerous he had done as a kid with his friends.

"I'm criticizing your boring question," Kal corrected. "Yes, I did grow up on Tatooine, same as you, except I didn't leave my home very often." She should've expected his line of questions, but it didn't make it any less difficult. Kal picked up her tools once more to finish working on Gray.

"What was Ben like?" Kal glanced up at the farmboy who donned a frown. She decided she didn't like him frowning. He didn't look right with a frown.

"Stubborn." The word was simple, stern, quick, and completely embodied her father. It wasn't what Luke had been anticipating. "Kind. Patient. Caring. Good." With each word she rattled off, Kal's movements slowed. "Dedicated. Humorous. Witty. Headstrong. Wise. Selfless." Kal's bandaged hands opened swiftly, dropping the tools onto the table and taking in a shaky breath. "I-"

She couldn't continue. Luke sprung up from his seat and slid into the booth next to her. "Hey, it's alright," he soothed, resting his hand on her shoulder. She was tempted to push it off and run away, but she liked the calming presence.

"I was horrible," Kal choked out. A lone tear fell from her eye and her eyes stung. "And he was never anything but patient." Luke's thumb idly rubbed against her shoulder as he sat next to her in silence. She whirled her head towards him. "I remember you. You and another boy were trapped in a sandstorm and then cornered by a krayt dragon." The revelation made him perk his head up. He remembered that day distinctly. He and his friend Windy hadn't seen the storm coming in. The next thing he knew, they were woken up by Ben Kenobi standing in front of a dead krayt dragon. But he hadn't seen Kal there. "I took pearls from the dragon's body. That's what I used to leave him."

"I don't think he was ever angry with you."

Luke's words didn't comfort her as he had planned. "Of course he wasn't. He was never angry. It's not the Jedi way." Beeping interrupted their conversation. A light on the computer terminal flashed bright, alerting their imminent arrival at Yavin 4. Kal pulled away from Luke, furiously wiping away the tear that still sat on her cheek. "I better go wake the princess."

The bounty hunter stalked off, leaving Luke alone in the central hold. In front of him laid Gray still in pieces. The least he could do was put the droid back together before they jumped into the fray of the rebellion. At least he was off Tatooine. That was all he had ever wanted.

* * *

The group practically ran off the _Millenium Falcon_ as it touched down on the moon for varying reasons. Han wanted his reward. Chewie followed him. Leia needed to get the schematics analyzed. Luke wanted to help in any way he could. Kal had to see her friends. The five were met by rebels on small transports who were charged with taking them into the forward command center, assuming they didn't know their way around the base. To be fair, Kal was the only one who actually did but she didn't feel like walking the whole way.

The moment they entered the pyramid, Kal recognized a familiar mop of messy dark hair in an orange jumpsuit. "Wedge!" she called out, hopping off the transport despite Han's protests. It wasn't going very fast and General Dodonna was on his way over so she didn't fully understand his reservations.

The ace pilot beamed at his friend, running over to see her. "Hey, hunter," he said cheekily, pulling Kal into a hug. Gray beeped in excitement. Wedge patted the droid while still hugging her.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Wedge," she mumbled into his shoulder. She was glad to see him. It had been a few months since her last visit to Yavin 4 and Wedge had slowly become one of her closest friends. That and she occasionally slept with his best friend Hobbie which probably helped them get closer than they would have otherwise.

Not far ahead, General Dodonna met with Leia while Luke, Han, and Chewie stood uncomfortably nearby. Wedge glanced over at the ragtag group with curiosity, particularly Han who was eyeing Kal and Wedge's embrace with skepticism. "Friends of yours?" Wedge and Kal pulled apart and Kal followed Wedge's gaze.

"You're not my only friend." Kal, looking at Wedge, jutted her head towards the smuggler, wanting him to follow her over. It was about time her two separate lives met.

Han, folding his arms across his chest, didn't look happy. Luke simply looked confused at his action. Han was more protective of those he deemed worthy than he typically led on.

Kal didn't get the chance to speak first once in front of Han. "I've learned more about you in the past day than I have in a full year, kid," Han grumbled.

The bounty hunter smirked and gazed up at Wedge. "This is Han," she introduced. "The Wookiee is Chewbacca and the blondie's Luke." She gestured a hand towards the rebel. "This dashing rebel pilot is Wedge. Be nice." Kal stared at Han in particular for the demand.

Han wasn't always the friendliest in the bunch which was probably why he and Kal got along so well once they both scraped away at each other's outer defenses. Wedge, on the other hand, earned his place through being funny, kind, and persistent. Constantly being around also helped.

Wedge chuckled at her introduction. "Flattery will get you everywhere, including Hobbie's pants." Kal elbowed him in the ribs, only making him laugh harder. When Han made no move to say anything, Wedge continued, turning completely to Kal. "So I was thinking. Later, you know, after we kick the Empire's asses, you, me, and Hobbie can celebrate with something to drink, eh? Maybe we can invite Sabine or Biggs. Hobbie's been hanging out with him a little, so maybe we can include him."

Her face scrunched together. "Who the hell is Biggs?"

"Darklighter?" Luke asked, interrupting.

Wedge clapped quickly and pointed at the farmboy. "Yes! You know him?"

Luke grinned broadly. "Know him? I grew up with him. Didn't know he actually joined the rebellion. I thought he was still at the Imperial Academy."

Wedge shrugged. "You'd be surprised how many recruits hate the Empire. It's where they picked me and a few friends up."

"No kidding." Luke had started taking a liking to the rebellion pilot, even if it was tinged with an ounce of jealousy because of how open Kal seemed with him compared to the rest of them.

"Speaking of friends," Wedge started, looking back at Kal, "Sabine will be so happy you're back. She's been having a hard to since Lothal."

Kal frowned at the mention of Lothal. While Ezra and his band of rebels successfully freed Lothal from the evil clutches of the Empire, Ezra himself had been lost. Between the death of Kanan and Ezra missing in action, the spectres of the _Ghost_ were scraping by in pain but still fighting. Kal had to see the eccentric Mandalorian, brilliant pilot, and former clone trooper.

"Take me to them?" Wedge nodded. "You'll be alright without me?" Kal asked Han, Luke, and Chewie. She didn't give him time to answer before tugging on Wedge's sleeve. "Great." The two wandered off, leaving the three behind in order to find the _Ghost_ parked outside of the pyramid.

"I don't like him," Han muttered to Chewie and Han as he watched Kal and Wedge walk away. Chewie howled with laughter while Luke shook his head, neither surprised with Han's revelation.

Weaving through the base quickly was Wedge and Kal's specialty after getting to know the pyramid. Outside the main hangar was the green-skinned Twi'lek captain spouting orders to rebels that were helping load up the _Ghost_ for take-off. Despite Captain Syndulla's excellent piloting skills, the _Ghost_ was needed to evacuate as much non-essential equipment as possible. At the very least, she was living to fight another day along with the rest of the remaining _Ghost_ crew. She also had a young kid to take care of.

Unbeknownst to Hera, Wedge and Kal were right behind her as she ordered the loading of some medical supplies. "I almost forgot how bossy you are," Kal mentioned nonchalantly.

Hera froze before whirling around to see the bounty hunter smirking. "Kal!" Hera exclaimed, throwing her arms around the young girl. "Hell of a time to come back." Hera's mom-like hug was soothing and a nice throwback to the simpler days as Kal gladly hugged her back.

"Well, bringing you the Death Star plans seemed like the perfect opportunity." Kal and Hera stepped back from each other. "Couldn't just sit on my ass with a princess next to me, either."

Wedge and Hera laughed at her words, both knowing she would take any reason to return to base despite what she said. "How long you staying around?" Hera asked.

Kal shrugged. "Not sure. My ride probably wants to leave the moment he gets his reward for rescuing the princess. And if I go with him, I'm sure I can convince him to come back. He's a big softy, just doesn't like to show it."

"Sounds like a certain Lasat I know." Hera's eyes flitted to said Lasat hauling a heavy crate up the ramp of the ship. While Kal had never grown close to Zeb, she was glad to see him doing well. No matter what Zeb said, he had a soft spot for Kal as well. "Sabine's inside sorting things."

"Thanks." Kal looked at Wedge. "Gimme a minute alone with her?" Wedge didn't reply, only nodding.

Sabine didn't have to say it, but Kal could feel the hidden anguish flowing through the Mandalorian. Her hair didn't have as much brightness to it from before Ezra went missing. Only Kal had been told about her feelings towards the kid from Lothal. Everyone else suspected, but Sabine liked confiding in a girl her age and that was Kal. Sabine's smile didn't quite reach her eyes when she spotted her friend walking up the ramp.

Zeb, who stood next to his fellow spectre, begrudgingly nodded at Kal. "It's good to have you back, kid," he said before leaving the two girls alone.

Kal analyzed Sabine before holding out her arms. Sabine rushed into them, holding Kal close. "I know you don't wanna hear it," Kal said quietly, "but I'm going to ask it anyway. Are you doing alright?" They hadn't seen each other since before the _Ghost_ had lost Ezra on Lothal. Kal could only imagine how the crew was feeling. While she was close with Ezra, she wasn't as close to him as they had been.

Sabine sighed. Kal could feel the tension in her body lessen. "It could be better, but I'm glad you're here."

Kal and Sabine pulled away. "After this fiasco is over, Wedge, Hobbie, and I are gonna grab drinks, and you're always welcome."

The Mandalorian's small smile was nice to see. It was genuine. She was grateful for her friends and their efforts to help lessen the pain. "Thank you. We'll see where everyone's at."

Kal shook her head and said, "Positivity. I'll see you later."

"Kick some bucketheads for me."

Kal chuckled as she left the ship, returning to Wedge who was still by Hera's side. "They just called for all pilots to meet in the war room," Wedge told her as they left Hera and the _Ghost_.

"Then that's where we'll go."


	22. Battle of Yavin

0 BBY

Rebel starpilots, navigators, and droids quickly filled the briefing room. General Dodonna stood in front of the display screen on the main wall while Leia and other senators and leaders stood to the side. Han and Chewie were joined in the back by Kal while Wedge slid into a spot between Luke and Hobbie.

Han sent a sideways glance at his bounty hunter friend. "I was wondering where you went," he criticized quietly. "Where'd you and lover boy run off to?"

Even though she was tempted not to let Han get a rise out of her, where she and Wedge had gone meant a lot to Kal. "I was saying goodbye to some friends. You could be a little nicer about this whole situation."

"Look, sweetheart, it's not my fight."

His constant cynicism was growing on Kal's nerves. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the smuggler as she looked passed Chewie. "Then what is?" she asked with a biting tone. "You've never wanted to fight for some good in the galaxy? I used to think along the same lines as you, but I've lost friends to this fight and I'm going to be damn certain that I'll do anything to help."

The room grew quiet as General Dodonna thanked everyone for assembling quickly, leaving Han without the chance to fire back at Kal. "The battle station is heavily shielded and carries a firepower greater than half the star fleet," Dodonna explained as the readouts on the screen showed the Death Star. "Its defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault. A small one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense." Han, after a look from Chewie, simply waved his hand and rolled his eyes.

Jon Vander, who also went by Dutch, was the appointed Gold Leader. The dark-haired human male drew the attention of the general. "Pardon me for asking, sir, but what good are snub fighters going to be against that?" he inquired, jutting a finger at the screen.

General Dodonna took the question in stride. "Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small one-man fighter to be any threat or they'd have a tighter defense. An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Leia has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station." The readouts on the screen showed a surface trench on the Death Star. "The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point."

The readouts stopped at the end of the trench, displaying two holes. "The target area is only two meters wide." Everyone in the room reacted one way or another. Pilots murmured and glanced at each other. Even Han's eyes widened. "It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction. The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes."

Wedge, usually optimistic or at least willing to try daring things, wasn't impressed. "That's impossible, even for a computer," he blurted. Thankfully for his ego and reputation, only Luke and Hobbie heard him.

"It's not impossible," Luke countered, trying to be reassuring. "I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters." Neither Hobbie nor Wedge seemed like they believed him nor did they get to retort.

"Man your ships!" Dodonna ordered. "And may the Force be with you." The group of pilots began to disperse. Han and Chewie left as quickly as possible.

Wedge, Hobbie, and Luke got up slowly, Kal going over to meet them. She recognized the determined expression on Luke's face. It was the same she had when she decided to join the rebellion. He needed a pilot's suit.

Hobbie met her gaze first as the three boys turned around. His flirty smirk reemerged as he raked his eyes over Kal. "You know, I can't resist a woman in uniform," he remarked in regards to her usual bounty hunting attire.

While Kal replied to Hobbie's flirting, Wedge glanced over at Luke and mock-puked, making the farmboy chuckle. Kal saw the exchange and rolled her eyes. "Come on, farmboy, we gotta get you outfitted."

Wedge waved his hand. "I can take him. I'm sure you and Hobbie have catching up to do."

Kal blatantly ignored his implication. "I don't trust you with him, flyboy."

"He'll be fine." Wedge didn't let her reply as he clapped Luke on the shoulder and steered him away from Hobbie and Kal. Wedge's smug grin didn't sit well with Kal or Luke. Luke sent a worried glance over his shoulder at the girl but continued to let himself be dragged away by the hotshot pilot.

"You seem to have a thing for blondes, huh?" Hobbie was leaning towards Kal as she watched the farmboy and rebel pilot walk away. Kal rolled her eyes but didn't reply. "Loth-cat got your tongue?"

"Oh, switch off."

Hobbie laughed at her annoyed face. "He's a good looking fella, and I know our thing won't last forever. I won't feel the slightest bit offended."

Kal looked over skeptically at the taller pilot from the corner of her eye. "Didn't know you played for both teams."

Draping an arm over her shoulder as they walked out of the briefing room, Hobbie shook his head. "I don't, but I can recognize and acknowledge when someone looks alright. All I'm saying is you spend so much time having fun without a care in the world that maybe you can let yourself care for once."

Pilots, technicians, and other rebels were rushing about around the two. "He's so annoying though," Kal blurted, her face pinching.

Hobbie sighed and glanced up at the ceiling of the hallway that led to the main hangar. "I didn't mean with the newbie, I meant in general. I better go help ready the ships though. See you soon." Hobbie gently hip-checked her before jogging off, leaving Kal to walk slowly alone, avoiding getting in other people's way.

As she entered the ship hangar, Kal spotted a newly uniformed Luke Skywalker walking away from the princess and General Dodonna. Kal ran over, meeting him as he headed towards his ship. "Hey, farmboy," she greeted. Luke looked over at her with a small smile as she walked in line with him. "Can't say anyone looks good in the bright orange, but it suits you."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" he asked.

Kal glanced around at the intense hustle and bustle as technicians and mechanics got all the ships ready to fly. "Considering you're about to go risk your life for some strangers? I'd say it's good."

"Luke!" a masculine voice called out, drawing the attention of the bounty hunter and farmboy. A dark-haired, mustached pilot rushed up to them and grabbed Luke's arm with a huge grin donning his face.

The boy from Tatooine immediately beamed brightly. "Biggs!" Kal couldn't help but study the new pilot. Biggs. That was Hobbie's new friend. Wedge hadn't seemed too keen, but he didn't like having too many people around, so Kal didn't hold that against Biggs. It was Hobbie who loved all the people.

"I don't believe it. How are ya?" the pilot, Biggs, asked. Luke barely answered before Biggs asked the truly important question. "Are you going out with us?"

"I'll be right up there with you," Luke assured. "And have I got stories to tell you."

"Skywalker," another pilot interjected as he passed the three. He was older than the three, and Kal recognized him as Garven Dreis, Red Leader. He sauntered over and gestured to the X-wing. "Are you sure you can handle the ship?"

"Sir," Biggs interjected, "Luke is the best bush pilot in the outer rim territories." Kal's eyes widened at the praise. Biggs sounded completely certain of Luke's abilities, which shouldn't surprise her considering he was Force-sensitive and the son of one of the greatest pilots in the galaxy. Luke smiled bashfully.

Dreis nodded at Biggs' assurance. "You'll do alright."

Luke, ever so humble, replied, "Thank you, sir. I'll try."

Dreis nodded at Kal in acknowledgment before hurrying to his own fighter. The two didn't know each other personally, but Red Leader had seen her around often enough to know she was close to the Ghost crew and two of his own pilots, even if Hobbie was still only the standby for Red Six. Plenty of pilots, not enough starfighters.

At Dreis's acknowledgment, Biggs finally realized Luke wasn't alone. "Luke, you gonna introduce me to your lady friend?" Biggs said with a smile.

Kal folded her arms. "I'm sure Hobbie's mentioned me plenty of times." Her specific stress on "plenty" caused his eyes to widen and his eyebrows to shoot up. From her shoulder, Gray beeped in amusement. As Biggs was about to reply, Kal patted Luke on the shoulder. "Good luck out there, farmboy. Make it back in one piece, won't you?"

She then strode off in search of Han. She found him at the Falcon as the X-wings and Y-wings took off for the Death Star. The smuggler and the Wookiee were loading the monetary reward onto the ship. Han picked up another case from the armored transport. "So you've decided to leave?"

Han picked his head up, hesitating and resting his hand on the handle of the case of credits. "You know I wasn't gonna stick around. Now you've gotta choose." He glanced over at his furry companion. "We like having you around, kid."

"I'm coming with you." Her voice didn't waver or shake and she looked him straight in the eyes, deadpan.

His eyebrows furrowed together. "Really?" He thought he'd have to try and convince her after what she had said earlier before the attack plan briefing.

Kal shrugged. "I'm a spy for them. I'm more useful not dead or on a base."

"Oh, I guess I just thought-"

"That's a first," she interrupted, grinning smugly.

Han didn't want to show his amusement but it crept in anyway. "Grab a case and let's get going." Kal nodded and lugged a case of credits up the ramp of the _Falcon_.

Chewie warmed up the ship as Han and Kal made sure the rest of the credits were secure in the central hold onboard before joining the Wookiee in the cockpit. Han sat in the pilot seat while Kal sat in the chair behind Chewie. She couldn't help but shake the bad feeling that was creeping into her as the ship lifted off the platform and into the atmosphere of Yavin 4.

Kal couldn't see the fighters attacking the Death Star, but she could feel some of them dying. She could hear their screams echoing through the Force as they were blasted away or crashing into the surface. Han looked back at her grave expression. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts," he said with a frown as he steered the ship towards a point in which they could enter lightspeed and leave behind the battle and the moon.

"They're dying," she stated simply, staring at the ground as she felt another one become one with the Force.

Han shook his head. "Well, what do you expect? A small group of fighters taking on the Empire? They're not going to win."

Breathing in deeply, Kal raised her gaze to view the stars. "They can." Chewie howled in agreement.

"You, too?" Both of his companions were silently urging him to join the fight. Or at least help with the battle. All it took was one final look to change his mind. With a flick of the wrist, Han turned the ship towards the battle station in the distance. "I'm going to regret this. Get in the gunport."

Kal and Chewie immediately perked up, each with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. Chewie remembered fighting against the Separatists during the time of the Republic. If he hadn't been bound by a life debt to Han, he probably would have joined the rebellion sooner. Kal was glad she finally got Han to openly show that he cared for someone other than himself.

The bounty hunter hurried towards the lower gunport and strapped in, pulling on the headset so she could communicate with Han and Chewie. The _Falcon_ drew closer to the fighting and Kal spotted an X-wing flying away towards the base with a trail of smoke. It could be fixed but was no use to the current fight at hand. It was Wedge. A sense of relief flowed through her knowing that her friend was okay.

Han continued towards the Death Star, drawing in as quickly as he could while patching their communications into the rebels. Kal ready the guns. In the trench was one last X-wing being followed by three TIE fighters moving in. The moment they were in range, Kal fired at the TIEs, hitting the one on the far side.

"Yahoo!" Han cried, his celebration echoing through the headset. Kal started to aim for another TIE but the surprise laser fire spooked the Imperial pilots, causing one to hit the other. One crashed into the wall of the trench while the other was knocked off course, spinning out of control into deep space. "You're all clear, kid. Now let's blow this thing and go home!" Han stayed a healthy distance away before Luke made the torpedo shot at the exhaust port. It made it in. Once Luke was clear of the station, they started towards the base with another remaining X-wing and Y-wing, leaving the battle station behind as it exploded. "Great shot, kid. That was one in a million."

 _Remember, the Force will be with you, always_. Her father's voice echoed through her mind, Luke hearing it as well.

The moment the ships touched down, everyone disembarked. Leaders, navigators, technicians, every rebel that still remained on Yavin 4, rushed into the hangar to congratulate the heroes. The rush of excitement electrified the air around them. Han and Kal ran forward through the crowd, embracing Luke individually.

"I knew you'd come back," Luke said laughing. "I just knew it!"

Han, holding both Kal and Luke close, patted Luke on the back. "Well, I wasn't gonna let you get all the credit and take all the reward."

Kal shook her head with a big grin. "That had nothing to do with it."

Neither Luke nor Leia bought his excuse either. "Hey, I knew there was more to you than money," Leia said as her arm laced around Luke.

Luke grew distracted by the technicians unloading Artoo. "Oh, no," he exclaimed, leaving the embrace of his friends. Artoo was lowered to the ground, fried and blackened from being shot by a TIE.

"Artoo, can you hear me?" Threepio asked, worried for his droid counterpart. "Say something!" He turned to the nearest technician. "You can repair him, can't you?"

"We'll get to work on him right away," the tech assured. Normally, other things might take precedence, but considering Artoo was the droid of the man that blew up the Death Star, they could afford to fix his droid.

"You must repair him." Threepio turned to his master. "Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help, I'll gladly donate them."

Luke replied in a calming voice. "He'll be alright." Luke and the rest of the group then walked off together, arms slung around each other. It was a time for celebration and continued evacuation, not grieving for those they'd lost. That could wait.

* * *

The boys were pulled away the next morning to get ready for a ceremony to honor the heroes of the rebellion. Leia brought Kal to her personal chambers. Leia was already prepared for the ceremony. She was a vision in white and decorated in a ceremonial necklace and bracelet that had belonged to her adopted mother, Breha Organa. The chalcedony star was the last thing she had of House Organa and she would treasure it always.

As Kal entered the princess's room, she gazed in slight disgust at the formal attire laid out on the mattress. "What is this?" the bounty hunter asked.

Leia laughed at Kal's expression. "It's for the Royal Award Ceremony in an hour. You're not going dressed like that." Leia pointed at Kal's bounty hunting uniform, particularly at the durasteel armor that covered her left arm. Leia was at least glad that the droid she always had with her had been left on the _Millenium Falcon_.

"I doubt most people will care about how I'm dressed."

Her blunt remark nearly made Leia wince, but the princess stood her ground. "Well, I do. Now, pick out a dress, or I will for you."

For almost the full hour, Leia readied the older girl for the presentation of the Medals of Bravery. Kal's hair was pulled back in an elaborate braid and was adorned in a floor-length cyan gown. She only chose it because it matched her lightsaber crystal color. And it reminded Kal of a dress her mom wore in a holorecording her dad had shown her. Cinched waist, draped fabric, high neckline, off-shoulder short sleeves. It was the same greenish-blue as Naboo's seas with matching flats. If her mother had lived, it would've been the same type of dress Kal would have grown up wearing. She hated it. But at least she could fight in it if need be.

Kal grimaced as she fidgeted in the mirror. She barely looked like herself. If anything, she looked like her mom. "Let's get this over with."

"Oh, hush, you look fantastic." Leia hooked her arm around Kal's and guided her out of the room. Kal felt the urge to stab the princess as they passed rebels in the halls that stared at them. She didn't like the staring that Leia was used to. It made her skin crawl. She wanted to climb back into her form-fitting clothing that was perfect for running and fighting. Being honored with a medal was not her idea of a fun time. Leia dropped off Kal outside the main doors of the throne room. "Wait here." The princess then left.

Picking at the seam of the waist, Kal continued to glare at her surroundings. If she had stayed with Boba, she wouldn't have been in a dress. Without realizing, Kal's hand found its way to her collarbone where her mother's kyber crystal necklace rested against the fabric. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she willed the Force to calm her.

"Kal?" the deep voice caused Kal to snap open her eyes and look sharply to the point of origin. Both Han and Luke's eyes were wide at the sight of the young woman in a dress. Han looked just about ready to burst into laughter.

Kal narrowed her eyes at the smuggler and pointed at him sternly. "Not another word, Solo. I don't need a weapon to hurt you." Han lazily threw up his hands but didn't reply, still smirking.

The former moisture farmer did, however. "You-you look beautiful," Luke told her.

Kal held her arms close around her abdomen. "Thanks," she replied sharply, lips pursed and jaw clenched, not noticing the pink tips of his ears. She silently thought of ways to slice off Han's smug smirk. Why were they allowed to dress almost normally, just a little nicer than usual? She had to wear a dress?

Soon enough, after standing in silence, horns started playing. The metal doors slid open and Luke, Han, Kal, and Chewbacca entered the throne room of the main temple. Hundreds of rebel troops were lined up neatly, watching the small group walk down the aisle towards Princess Leia, who stood radiantly in the center of the stage. Since Wookiee culture forbid receiving medals, Kal stood in between Han and Luke as they presented themselves to Leia, and Chewie stood to the side behind them.

Leia smiled brightly at each of them before Dodonna handed her medals and she placed them around their necks. The three bowed to the princess after receiving their Medals of Bravery. A fully fixed Artoo beeped and whistled from his place at Threepio's side. The group then turned to face the rebel troops who erupted into applause.


	23. The Training Begins

0 ABY

The quietest part of the command ship was devoid of life and in the main cargo bay. That's where Luke found Kal meditating in silence. The air hung still as Luke awkwardly walked through the stacks, finding Kal in the center of the room. He stood near her while picking at his jacket. He didn't know what to do. Should he say something? Should he clear his throat to grab her attention? Should he just wait for her to finish meditating?

In his eyes, she looked like an angel when she was calm and at peace. The harshness in her expression had disappeared. He almost didn't want to disturb her. But he had done so simply by entering the vast room. She could sense his presence from the moment the hatch slid open.

Kal wanted to laugh. Through meditation, one could see and feel everything connected to the Force with heightened senses. Luke's inner turmoil stirred amusement in the young bounty hunter. Despite being tempted to let his conflict continue, she slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to let them adjust to the overhead lights. Though dim, the lights shined on the young man that stood before her. A month had passed since they had met, but he had already grown so much, not really physically but emotionally and mentally.

The death of Obi-Wan Kenobi still haunted both of them. Luke had lost his friend, his mentor. Even though he had only truly known him for a short time, the wise old man had opened his eyes to a broader universe and told him about his father. But Obi-Wan was actually Kal's father. Her heart and soul felt as though there was a piece missing. Meditation helped fill it. His presence was always nearby. Sometimes she could hear his voice and it made her feel whole again. They hadn't been the closest family, but they were still all each other had left.

Now Kal had Luke and Luke had Kal.

They were the oddest pair. Kal, ever stoic and sarcastic, and Luke, ever optimistic and hopeful. While Han and Leia continued to snap at each other, Kal and Luke slowly opened up to each other more. Kal let herself relax in his presence and Luke confided in her. And now that things had calmed down with the rebellion and the Rebel fleet relocated to the Pantora system, it was time to train Luke in the ways of the Jedi. Kal had to. For her father.

Waving her hand at the floor in front of her, she said, "Sit."

Luke's eyebrows creased, but he listened anyway. She was the master after all. If Luke wanted to learn, he had to listen to her. Though he did think she'd teach him how to wield the saber-like her father had started on the _Falcon_. But that hadn't been how she learned. Meditation always went first. As much as she hated it growing up, she recognized the necessity as she grew older.

"Close your eyes," she ordered. "Breath deeply, in and out." Her calming voice helped Luke's tense muscles relax as he sat on the cold cargo bay floor. "Stretch out with your feelings. Feel the Force flowing around you."

Luke didn't quite understand how to do that, but he had done it with Ben guiding him. He knew he could do it with Kaleena guiding him, too. They weren't much different from each other, right? Different approach but similar teachings. Right?

For a few minutes, they sat there together in silence. Occasionally, Kal would speak the same directions. _Breath. Clear your thoughts. Reach out. Trust in the Force_. Luke quickly grew frustrated. Kal quickly realized they were more similar than she had originally thought.

Obi-Wan certainly knew how to pick the angsty, impatient padawans. Then again, he had been one as well with Master Qui-Gon.

Kal had the limited experience of two different teaching styles, and they were for different ways of life. The only thing she had known for Jedi training was patience and serenity. The only thing she had known for bounty hunter training was passion and ferocity. Both approaches fit the profession they were meant for despite spitting out an opposite disciple. Kal hadn't fit either completely. Too strong-willed and intense to be a good Jedi. Too cautious and caring to be a good bounty hunter.

As their legs grew sore from sitting on the cold, hard hangar floor, Luke slowly peeked open his eyes. Kal was too tranquil in his eyes. It didn't suit her. While he appreciated seeing the young woman doing something other than frowning, glaring, or smirking, he secretly yearned for her expressive nature. The stoicism belonged to her father.

Without lifting her eyelids, Kal asked, "Why are your eyes open?" Luke panicked. He hadn't thought she'd be able to sense such a small change. Kal's eyes snapped open as she raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I. . ." Luke sighed and shook his head. "I guess I just don't understand why we're meditating."

A smile tugged at the corners of Kal's lips. "If I had to spend nearly my whole life spending each morning meditating, you can handle a few minutes," she assured. "I hated it, too."

Luke's eyebrow's pinched together. "Really?" Then why did she continue to do it?

"Every morning, before we would start lessons, my dad made me meditate," Kal recalled. "It is meant to help clear your mind and strengthen your connection to the Force. You either love it or you hate it, but it is necessary. Some Jedi were able to use powerful Force abilities through meditation. It also allows Jedi to see visions of the past, present, and future. Nothing is impossible with the Force, but you have to be open to it, be willing to use it, and be guided by it. That can be achieved through meditation."

The young Skywalker's eyes were wide and filled with wonder. His knowledge of the Force was incredibly limited. What he knew had come from Ben.

"Abilities like what?" he asked.

Pursing her lips, Kal raked her eyes over the boy in front of her. She hadn't noticed before, but his eyes practically glowed blue. "Well, it depends on which aspect of Force powers you're looking at." At the confused expression overtaking his face, Kal continued. "The Jedi Order divided all Force abilities into three aspects depending on the way the Force was focused on when using them." Her continued explanation didn't help him understand better.

Kal sighed and donned an earnest look as she thought of how to describe it. Her father had at least been a Jedi Master when teaching her. He also had experience training a padawan prior to her, though Kal in no way thought of Luke as her padawan.

"Okay, the first thing you have to learn about the Force is the aspect of Control," she began. "Control is internal, focusing on a Jedi's ability to recognize the Force within themselves and use it."

Luke nodded. "That's why you start with meditation."

A small smile threatened to develop. "Exactly. Control centers on the ability to control your own body and it must be constantly practiced. It's where the basics of all disciplines of Force begin. With it, you can actually prolong your life or avoid the natural decay of the body."

"Wow, really?" Luke asked, his eyes sparkling and his mouth grinning.

"Yes. Now close your eyes and meditate." Luke happily listened with a new sense of excitement for the task at hand. "Feel the Force flowing through you. Focus on it. Let it calm you. Let it energize you. Feel all the possibilities."

* * *

As Kal stretched her legs out an hour later, Luke gazed at her thoughtfully. He had one last question before they broke for the night. It had been bothering him for a while, and if he didn't ask then, he didn't know when he would get the chance to.

"Why do you always say 'Force-user' or 'them' when talking about the Jedi?" he wondered. "I mean, aren't you a Jedi, too?"

The bounty hunter slowly stood tall, holding her head high and shoulders back as she turned to face Luke. He wanted to take back the question at the sight of her expression. It was the same one she wore when she had seen her father again. Clenched jaw. Strained eyes. Tempered anger.

"There's more than one kind of Jedi. The sooner you learn that, the easier it'll be."

She tried to walk off, but Luke kept pace with her. "But that still means you're a Jedi, even if there is more than one kind," Luke pointed out.

"It's not the same," Kal spat, not wanting to continue the conversation.

One of Luke's many qualities included his inability to drop something. "What kinds are there?"

Kal stopped walking and faced Luke. They hadn't even reached the cargo bay door and he had already chipped away at the wall she had attempted to put up with the onset of his question. "First, there are the Jedi. They follow the Jedi Code and are part of the Jedi Order, or were. Dark Jedi are the ones who have fallen from the Light Side and been corrupted by the Dark Side. Sometimes they're confused with Sith. But the Sith mostly only use the Dark Side and have their own Sith Code."

With his eyebrows scrunched together, Luke asked, "Why are Dark Jedi and Sith sometimes confused?"

"Only two true Sith can be present at a time." Kal waved her hand to dismiss his unspoken question. "It's something they came up with. Anyone else is just a Dark Jedi following their teachings."

A moment of silence passed through the two. Luke had one last question, and this one he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. "So, what are you?"

The shakiness of his voice did not go unnoticed by Kal. She could sense his conflicting feelings, the same as prior to the training. He knew she wasn't evil. Through the Force, he felt the goodness in her, but at the same time, she had only given three options. Good, mildly evil, and pure evil. And she had claimed she wasn't a Jedi.

"The Gray Jedi deviate from the code and can tap into the Dark Side, but aren't corrupted by it. Some are members of the Order, some aren't. That's what I am. But's not what you want to be."

* * *

Most of the crew had gone to their quarters and tucked in for the night by the time Kal found herself in the engine room of the command ship. With all of the engineers asleep or working on other parts of the ship, the engine room was empty. Other than the constant hum of the engine, it was devoid of sound.

Kal found it to be relaxing as she stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her arms. She closed her eyes, letting her muscles loosen. The silence was rare on the ship or anywhere in the rebellion for that matter. So rare that Kal's relaxation was interrupted.

"Hey, hunter," a deep voice called out.

Tilting her head backward, Kal looked at Wedge as he strolled over from behind her. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" she asked, staring at her friend upside down.

"I could ask you the same thing." Wedge plopped down beside Kal. "Long day?" Kal groaned and laid fully on her back, Wedge snickering at her. "That bad, huh?"

Kal sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the engine room as she used her arm as a pillow. "It wasn't bad, per se."

"You can tell me."

The bounty hunter gazed up at Wedge. He stared down at her from his seated position next to her with a sincere expression. Friendly and approachable Wedge, always willing to help. "It was just some resurfacing of memories," Kal assured.

Wedge didn't believe her, with good reason. But he didn't say anything, instead choosing to lay down beside her, backs pressed against the cool hard metal of the ship.


	24. The Fine Art of Conflict

1 ABY

Learning about the Force proved to be more difficult for the young Skywalker than anyone had previously conceived. He gladly absorbed all the information like a sponge, learning as many things about the Jedi as he could; however, his inability to control and use the Force continued to be a point of frustration not only for Luke but for his trainer as well.

The young Kenobi knew Luke could do it, feeling his strong connection to the Force far better than Luke himself could feel it, but Luke was too old. He had already learned so much in his nineteen, almost twenty years. Unlearning it all and starting new was the hardest thing he could possibly do. On top of the Force training, being a Lieutenant in the fight against the Empire didn't help. He had duties to attend to. Kal had already forgone most of her responsibilities in order to train Luke, but he wouldn't be able to do the same in order to learn.

Once Luke entered the secluded cargo bay to meet Kal for his daily training, he went to take a seat as he had done for the past few months. "Stay standing," a feminine voice called out. His dejected, solemn expression shifted into one of curiosity and confusion as he turned his head to face Kal who sat on one of the crates in the shadows. Kal hopped off the crate and strolled over to where Luke stood. "We're gonna do something different today."

Luke's eyebrows pinched together as he stood in front of the woman who had been attempting to train him in the ways of the Force. "Finally realize I can't use the Force?" he asked sardonically.

Rolling her eyes, Kal replied, "Switch off, Luke. You can use the Force, you've done it before, just not consciously. And remember, Jedi are supposed to be realistic, if not idealistic."

"I am being realistic." Luke folded his arms across his chest. "We've been at this for months and I haven't been able to move anything."

"Now you're being pessimistic," Kal argued.

"How is it so easy for you?"

Kal sighed softly as she studied the younger man. "I've been actively using the Force almost daily since I was maybe three years old. You haven't been aware of your connection to the Force for your whole life. That's not something you just move on from like flipping a switch. That's why the Jedi started training when they were young. It was easier that way. It still took a while, but it's easier to learn something the younger you are, especially if that's all you know."

Silence permeated the air as Kal let her words hang between them. What Luke needed to realize was that he wouldn't get it in a day. The frustration budding in Kal was due to her impatience at doing the same thing over and over again. She knew for certain that if she had been born while the Jedi Order was still around, she would never have willingly taken on a padawan of her own. This one had been forced upon her, much like Ahsoka had been to Anakin. Her father certainly had a way with people.

Unfolding his arms, Luke met Kal's eye. "What are we doing today? You said we're doing something different?"

Kal smiled at him. "Take out your saber," she ordered. Resisting the urge to chuckle at his excited eyes and grin, Kal unclipped her own and ignited it while Luke did the same. "The basics of all lightsaber combat come from Form I, Shii-Cho, the Way of the Sarlacc. Follow my movements."

As she transitioned slowly between each basic move and maneuver the form employed, Kal instructed Luke with the importance of the lightsaber form. "Form I was the first form created in order to transition the Jedi from using metal swords to energy beam lightsabers. It established the basic rules of attacks, parries, and target zones and has two methods: the Ideal Form and Live Combat Form."

"What are the differences between the two?" Luke asked as both he and Kal entered back into the opening stance.

"Ideal Form is used in sparring with all of the moves executed perfectly, like when it's being drilled into your muscle memory," Kal explained, continuing the pattern of movements. "Live Combat Form is more practical with an aim to increase the speed and lessen your movements, which is better for instances of an actual fight." _Like what you'll have to do with Vader_ , she thought. _Your father_.

"One to teach you what you need to know, and the other to simulate real life."

Kal nodded. "Exactly. Shii-Cho emphasizes victory without injury, so the majority of practitioners use a disarming method, _sun djem_. This is the form my dad started teaching you on the _Falcon_. It's the first form any Jedi learns."

Luke hesitated momentarily before continuing to copy Kal. It was the first time in a while that she had mentioned her father in front of him. She avoided the subject like the rakghoul plague. "Do all Jedi-in-training get blindfolded when learning?"

The bounty hunter chuckled. "Yes, but at a younger age. And they're called initiates. You start as a Jedi youngling or initiate until you pass the Initiate Trials to become a padawan."

Before Luke could reply, Kal raised her saber and brought it down on top of his in a quick slash. He yelped as he stared wide-eyed at the two lightsabers above his head.

"Good," Kal said. Kal then slashed at his side which he blocked again. His eyes flitted around trying to anticipate where she'd attack next. "Stop thinking." Kal feigned an attack in one spot in favor of his unguarded right leg, stopping next to his boot while he stared dumbly at her. "Trust your instincts." After blocking a few more attacks, Kal quickened her pace and disarmed Luke, catching his lightsaber in the air and holding it, ignited down at her side with her own saber pointed at him.

"How did you. . . " Luke trailed off, looking back and forth between each lightsaber.

"If you apply enough force at a certain point, you can disarm any opponent. As long as they don't see it coming." Kal slyly winked at him and handing back the Skywalker blade. "Try again."

After a few more run-throughs of the same variations, Kal started picking up the pace. Other than a few hiccups, the basic Form I wasn't much different across several weapons or even bare-fisted, and Luke had already been decently versed in fighting considering how often he found himself in trouble with thugs or even play-fighting with his friends. Shii-Cho was the first form for a reason. There had to be one to outline the basic movements, especially for younglings.

Kal sheathed her saber and stared at the panting Luke Skywalker who bent over his knees. "How do you do this for so long?" he asked. He wasn't _not_ physically fit by any means. Lightsaber combat was simply a different type of workout that he wasn't used to.

"That's not even the most intensive form. Just wait until Ataru or Juyo." Kal placed her hands on her hips as she unapologetically raked her eyes over him.

Luke looked up at Kal from his bent-over position. "What's the least intensive one?"

"Soresu." She then shook her head as he stood up straight. "But just because something is less physically intense, does not mean it's easy. To master Soresu, one must be incredibly skilled and precise. It took me years to master." Kal paused as she thought of her next words. "A big part of lightsaber combat is using the Force." Luke's shoulders slumped, so she continued. "The Force allows you to keep fighting even when you're tired. It helps you anticipate your opponent's next attack before you would without it. I can teach you all I know, but if you don't open yourself to the Force, you'll never be a Jedi."

With that, Kal decided to end the lesson for the day, by walking out without another word or glance. Something was blocking Luke from using the Force, and he needed to figure it out for himself. She couldn't do that for him and it wasn't something that could be taught by someone else. You had to teach yourself to be calm and open and aware. Even with all of the guidance in the galaxy, you are your greatest obstacle. Or at least, that's what her father had always said.

She found herself by the escape pods. No thought in her mind led her to be tempted to get in one, instead, it was yet another empty area. Calmly igniting her lightsaber, Kal ran through various lightsaber forms. The basics of Shii-Cho. The quick footwork of Makashi. The defensive Soresu. The athleticism of Ataru. The straightforward Shien and Djem So. The balance and moderation of Niman. The aggression of Juyo and Vapaad.

Losing herself in her swings and steps, Kal almost didn't notice someone behind her. She only noticed as she held her saber a little too close to his neck. Immediately sheathing her blade, Kal let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't sneak up on me like that," Kal scolded, glaring at the older man.

Han's signature smirk graced his expression. "If I knew you would try to chop my head off, I would've howled."

Kal rolled her eyes as she clipped the hilt to her thigh. "What do you want?" she asked.

Leaning on the wall next to him, Han said, "Just wanted to see how you're doing. Haven't had much of a chance to talk since joining the circus. You still owe me an explanation, sweetheart." He looked pointedly at the still visible saber hilt.

Kal picked up her long coat from the floor and threw it on, covering the weapon. "It's a long story."

"I've got time." He gestured to the floor next to him as he sat down.

The young bounty hunter grumbled before sitting next to him. "Fine, I grew up on Tatooine, was trained to be a Jedi, instead ran away, and became a bounty hunter. Happy?"

"Kal. . ." His stern brotherly gaze made her pause and sigh, her shoulders slumping as she leaned back against the cold escape pod. It was a long-overdue conversation. And it had to be done, she knew.

"I was born on Coruscant during the Clone War. My dad had a forbidden relationship with a handmaiden to a senator." She left out the part where said senator turned out to be Luke's mother. Han didn't need to know that before Luke did. "My mom died before the war ended. At the end of the war, my dad took me to Tatooine with him, into exile. As I grew up, he trained me to be a Jedi, to use the Force. But eventually, I learned we had different viewpoints so I left."

"Then you met Fett," Han said.

Kal shook her head. "No, before I met Boba, I met a band of rebels. One of them was caught with me in an interesting predicament and helped each other out. They were my introduction to the rebellion. I didn't join then though. Instead, I went back to Coruscant. I wanted to find a purpose, I guess. Then I met Boba. We were after the same bounty."

"And he didn't shoot you?" Han asked.

She chuckled at him. "No, he didn't shoot me." Kal resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "He's not that bad once you get to know him. He took me in, taught me how to be a bounty hunter. Got me off of Coruscant. I joined the rebellion after his ship was attacked and we were rescued by the little band of rebels I had met after Tatooine. I learned one of them ha-had died. I joined for her. I became a spy for the rebellion for her."

Han nodded uncertainly. He didn't know what to say. He asked for her story and he got it. He didn't know what to make of it. "So. . . now you're training the kid, why?"

Kal didn't quite understand why he continued to call Luke "kid" all the time considering he was only a year younger than Kal and she didn't get called "kid" very often by him. "My dad asked me to."

"But why?"

Kal's eyes drooped as she looked at her feet. "Because he's Force-sensitive. And we've all got a part to play."

"Why do I feel like there's more to it than that?" Han asked.

"You can think what you want."

Han snorted and chuckled as he nudged her with his elbow. "Something's up between you two, whether you know it or not." A momentary pause spread between them before Han clapped his hands on his thighs. "Well, enough of the heart to heart. I lied earlier. I came to get you because Command wants to run something by you."

She wanted to glare at him for manipulating her into spilling her story, but she was more confused at Command needing her. They hadn't needed her or requested anything of her in a while. "What?" Kal asked. "What could they possibly want my opinion on?"

Han didn't reply, standing and offering his hand to her to help her off the floor. Kal took it and followed him to the Command Center.

Around the main console stood Hera, Rex, Sabine, Leia, General Dodonna, and the newest Gold Leader, Commander Crix Madine. Technicians and officers bustled about, but largely ignored the main group in the center of the room.

The moment Hera spotted her, she greeted, "Kal! So glad you could make it. Was worried you might be busy with training since you didn't answer your comlink."

She had completely forgotten that she turned off her comm. "Anything for my favorite rebels," Kal replied with a smirk as she turned her comm back on and slid into place next to Sabine along with Han. "And consider me intrigued for being summoned in the first place. So, what's wrong this time?"

Everyone turned to General Dodonna. "Our supply ships have been having increasing difficulty with delivering supplies to our command ships. They've been coming underfire by various people who we believe are bounty hunters. The latest incident was with the _Ghost_." Dodonna pressed a button on the console and a blue hologram of the _Ghost_ and another ship lit up. Kal's blood ran cold as she recognized the adversarial starship. "The _Ghost's_ scanners picked up this ship during their encounter." Kal turned to look at the _Ghost_ crew that stood by her. "They've said the ship belongs to the bounty hunter Boba Fett."

"Why am I here?" Kal asked, trying not to sound standoffish or accusatory.

Leia, from her spot next to Rex, was the one who answered her. "You're a bounty hunter. Have you met Fett before?"

Kal glanced at Rex who discretely shook his head, warning her not to answer truthfully. She didn't know why, but she decided to listen. He probably knew as well as she did that if she claimed to know Fett and had befriended him, it would not end well. "Not many hunters have had the pleasure. Why?" Thankfully, Han didn't call her out.

Leia sighed in frustration. "I guess I was hoping that if you knew him, you'd be able to talk him down or get information from him."

Kal folded her arms over her chest. "Then you don't know much about the hunter's creed. We stay out of each other's way."

"Bounty hunters have a code?" Madine asked, not exactly polite about his disbelief.

"It may seem ridiculous because we're lawless mercenaries or whatever you want to call us, but yes, we have rules," Kal answered, unamused at his tone. "Anyone who breaks them is no longer considered a reputable bounty hunter. Boba Fett has broken it enough times that guild members felt he didn't need protection from it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to break it." The reason Boba didn't particularly like the guild was because of their stuffy rules, though he did have his own code that didn't exactly follow the ones already laid out.

"Is there a way to get more bounty hunters on our side?" Leia asked. "This would be the perfect time to persuade them with the guild in shambles." Kal figured that even though the rebels knew the Bounty Hunter's Guild had been torn apart, they didn't know it had been done by Boba Fett himself, but she kept that tidbit to herself.

"The highest bid makes the rules." Dodonna and Madine wanted to curse at her words. The only way to get a bounty hunter to switch sides or even join a fight was to pay them. They knew it before Kal said it, they just didn't want to hear it.

"If we reach out to talk, do you think he'd show?" Sabine asked Kal. "Preferably without shooting?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kal sighed. "He will if I do it. A good chunk of his bounties come from the Empire because they pay extremely well. He won't risk being drawn out by rebels who might possibly try to kill him. But he should agree to a meeting if he gets a call from me since I'm a hunter." She didn't enjoy lying to them or beating around the truth, but letting General Dodonna know about her connections just seemed like a bad idea. "I'll do it."

"You shouldn't go alone," Leia said. She nodded her head towards the smuggler standing beside Kal. "You should bring Han and the _Ghost_ crew."

"No," Kal quickly argued, Han also voicing discontent at Leia's suggestion. Everyone around her looked at them strangely. "Fett hates Han with a burning passion."

"The feeling is mutual," Han grumbled. "Guy's tried to kill me too many times."

"If Fett sees him, he's likely to shoot him. If you're sending me with backup, it needs to be people he doesn't know or hasn't seen. So not Han or the _Ghost_." Madine was about to pitch in with some suggestions, but Kal cut him off before he could try by lifting her hand. "With all due respect, Commander, I want people I trust by my side. I won't go in with just anyone." Mostly because she knew how meeting Boba would go.

"Who do you suggest?" Dodonna asked. By his tone, he already knew who she wanted.

Kal gestured to Sabine next to her. "Wren, Antilles, Klivian, and Skywalker."

"You want almost half of Rogue Group?" Madine pointed out, absolutely incredulous at her words.

"It's who she knows best, Commander," Hera said sternly. Kal smiled softly at her. Of course, the only mother figure Kal had ever had would come to her aid. "She's worked with them before. If she's going in to negotiate with an infamous, unpredictable bounty hunter, she needs people who she knows has her back. And Sabine used to be a bounty hunter. Two hunters and three pilots against the best bounty hunter the galaxy has seen in centuries seems good to me."

Dodonna took a moment to think it over, stroking his beard. "I'll allow it. Gather what you need. You'll be authorized a YT-2400 light freighter." Kal nodded and the group disbanded.

Leia followed Kal, Han, and Sabine out of the Command Center. "Are you sure about this?" Leia asked as the four walked down the hall. "From what I've heard of, he's not exactly a forgiving man. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're taking as many people as you can, it betters your chances, but if things show any sign of going wrong, I want you to fall back and get out of there as fast as you can."

Admittedly, Kal appreciated her worry since it showed that she cared. But at the same time, it mildly sounded like the princess was questioning her judgment. "Leia, we'll be fine. He won't do anything rash as long as he doesn't feel threatened. Sabine, get your things. I'm going to find the boys."

"Yes, ma'am," Sabine said sarcastically with a mock salute and a grin before rushing to the _Ghost_ to grab her necessary equipment.

Kal turned to Han and Leia, Han in particular. He nodded curtly and said, "Be careful."

The bounty hunter smiled. "Don't get all soft on me now, tough guy. I'll be back soon." She looked at the princess. "Take care of him." Then she left them, going to the main hangar bay. Two of the three flyboys she was searching for were already in there. Hobbie and Wedge were tuning up their X-wings as she approached them. "Hello, boys."

Both of them popped out of their respective ships with shit-eating grins to look at her. "Hey, hunter," Wedge greeted.

"Whatcha need, beautiful?" Hobbie asked as he leaned on the hard metal cockpit.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and pointed at them. "You two are joining me for a mission. Pack a bag and grab a blaster."

Wedge wiped off his hands with a rag. "What about Luke?" His smile was less than subtle so she actually rolled her eyes at that time.

"Luke's coming, too."

"Coming because of you?" Hobbie clarified with a sly grin.

Kal groaned, a hundred percent understanding his meaning. "I'm seriously considering disinviting you two."

Hobbie shook his head. "Nope, too late. You're stuck with us."

"Just go put civilian clothes on."

"Want us to find Lieutenant Wonderboy?" Wedge asked.

"Yes, now go." Kal pointed harshly at the hangar bay exit. The two scurried off, both smiling like the pain in the asses they were. Kal made her way to the Falcon and picked up her weaponry and droid. Gray settled on her shoulder as she hooked her blaster pistols to her belt and grabbed her heavy blaster rifle and go bag, filled with emergency credits, first aid supplies, and dried food. She was ready for her rebel pilots to meet her mentor.


	25. A Glimmer of Hope

1 ABY

Kal readied the light freighter that she was given for the mission to meet with Boba Fett after transmitting him a message to meet her on Alsakan. He already knew where on the planet. Her stomach bubbled with giddy nervousness at the thought of seeing him again. He hadn't exactly been kept in the dark with her joining the rebellion, but they hadn't actually talked since before she had joined. She wondered what their reunion would be like. Would he be mad? Glad? Apprehensive? He was practically the father Obi-Wan hadn't been. She wanted it to go well.

Massaging her scalp, Kal bent over in her seat to try and calm her mind as she waited for her friends. The word sounded strange. Friends. Growing up she did exactly have friends. Market stall workers didn't count. Her dad didn't count.

"You alright, Kal?" a feminine voice said.

Kal picked up her head to see Sabine walking into the cockpit. She smiled at the pink-clad Mandalorian rebel and her ever-changing hair. "Yeah, just nervous, you know?"

Sabine sat down in the copilot chair, setting her helmet on the console. "Of course you're nervous. Your rebel friends are about to meet your bounty hunter friend. I get why you didn't announce your relationship with Fett at the meeting. I was worried for a moment there myself."

Kal offered her a reassuring smile. "Thanks. I'm sorry he attacked you guys."

Shrugging, Sabine didn't look too particular put out. "It's alright. He probably doesn't remember Hera much anyway from their first meeting. Also, it's a job. You take on a job, you've gotta be willing to follow through, regardless of personal feelings." Sometimes Kal forgot about Sabine's experience as a bounty hunter.

"I knew I chose the right person to join."

Sabine laughed at her statement. "Along with three cute boys."

"Switch off," Kal grumbled, turning away to make sure the ship was fully warmed up and ready for takeoff the moment the three pilots arrived.

"I haven't met Skywalker yet. I'm kinda excited."

Kal rolled her eyes with a clenched jaw, especially at Gray's amused beeps. Between Sabine, Hobbie, and Wedge, Kal wondered how she would make it through the trip without murdering one of them. She didn't even like Luke like that. Sure, he was attractive. She's not blind. But she didn't like him like that.

Boots thudded through the ship, growing louder and louder until they reached the cockpit. In walked the three rebel pilots that Kal had decided to share her secret with. All three were ready to go and dressed in civilian clothes and blasters hanging from their belts since as pilots they didn't have armor. Although Luke looked a little apprehensive due to the poor outcome of their training session earlier that day, he was fully present and prepared. The three plopped down in the other chairs with their overnight bags at their feet.

"So, where we going, boss?" Hobbie asked with his charming smile.

"Alsakan," Kal replied. "Strap in." Her crew listened as they lifted off. Gray got to work inputting the coordinates in the navi-computer as Kal flew the ship out of the hangar bay. The moment they entered hyperspace, Kal and Sabine turned around in their seats to look at the boys. "This mission, if you could even call it that, shouldn't be dangerous. There is no anticipation of a fight, but I need to know that you three, no matter what happens, will not disclose anything you learn to anyone."

The boys shared wary glances at Kal's seriousness. Sabine had no patience. "We mean it. Even Command can't know at least half of what you'll see and hear."

"What's going on, hunter?" Wedge asked, leaning forward with a concerned expression.

Kal looked sternly into each of their eyes. "Promise me."

Each of them nodded quickly and said variants of 'I promise'.

"I know that all sounds strange, but I just needed to be sure. The bounty hunter Boba Fett along with a few others who are currently unknown have been interfering with rebel supply runs. As you very well know, I'm a bounty hunter. That's not exactly a secret, but what Rebel Command doesn't know is that Boba Fett is the one who trained me." Each boy had various levels of shock etched into their expressions. "I know him. I trust him, mostly. We're just meeting to talk about what has been going on. Hopefully, there will be no issues and Fett will be forthcoming with information. But I need you ready. I chose you three because I trust you." Kal twisted her head towards Sabine with a smile. "And you. Can't forget about you. You're amazing."

Sabine laughed and shook her head, amused. "You're a walking disaster."

"Thank you. So kind of you to notice." Kal turned back to the boys and looked particularly at Luke. "Luke, this is Sabine. She's a member of the _Ghost_ crew. Keep your valuables to yourself if you don't want them spray-painted."

Luke smiled, chuckled lightly, and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Sabine shook it politely and said, "She's not joking."

"She painted my helmet bright green one time," Hobbie pitched in helpfully. "Was a bitch to clean off." Not knowing how to react, Luke kind of just nodded his head awkwardly and sat back in his seat with a mildly confused expression. "Lighten up, Luke. We're in the company of two beautiful women."

Kal's face pinched with a mocking smile and stood to hopefully find a quiet place to meditate, leaving her droid to watch over the controls. As she left the cockpit, she heard Wedge say, "Both of whom would gladly shoot you with their blasters."

Sabine left shortly after, running to catch up with the mission leader. "Whatcha need, Sabine?" Kal asked as they entered the main holding area.

"I was wondering if we could spar. I don't think I've actually gotten a good fight in a while."

Kal fully faced the young Mandalorian. "Really? You want to spar?"

"Don't look at me like that. I just want some practice in. Haven't exactly been able to without Ezra or Kanan." Kal could see the sadness clouding Sabine's eyes, but it wasn't present on her face. She was good at compartmentalizing her emotions. Or at least better than she had been years before when they had first met.

"If only we could spar with sabers. I never actually had the chance to see you and the Darksaber."

Amusement sprung up on Sabine's face. "If I'm being honest, I kind of miss fighting with it. There's nothing like using a lightsaber."

It was like someone flipped a switch in Kal's mind. "Would you want to?"

"Use a lightsaber?" Sabine asked. Kal nodded. "Uh, sure, but I don't actually see how that's possible. I gave the Darksaber to Bo-Katan Kryze so she could lead Mandalore, as her sister had before the Clone War."

"I don't mean with the Darksaber."

Sabine practically pouted. "I'm still confused."

Kal gave her a broad grin and yelled, "Farmboy! Surprise training session! Get your butt over here!" The three pilots came rushing in carrying their bags, Hobbie and Wedge laughing while Luke looked embarrassed. Kal didn't know or care about what they were making fun of him for. She had an idea. Sabine wanted to spar. Luke needed training. "Luke, come here. You two need a proper introduction." Hobbie and Wedge leaned against the walls of the ship with curious expressions as Luke walked over to the girls. Kal grabbed his arm and pulled him closer so he stood in front of the Mandalorian. "Sabine, did Kanan ever talk about some of the Jedi Knights and Masters?"

Sabine, still confused as to what was happening, said, "Yes, but usually only with Ezra or Ahsoka. I don't remember most of them, though."

"But you know the main heroes, right?" Kal asked. Sabine nodded hesitantly. Kal clapped Luke's shoulder. "This is Luke. Luke _Skywalker_."

Sabine didn't need a refresher on his last name. She already knew it. But what she hadn't pieced together was the connection to him and the famous Jedi Knight. "As in-" Her eyebrows to emphasize her point without actually saying it. She also mimed a lightsaber swinging.

"The very one." Kal gestured to Sabine. "Luke, this is Sabine Wren of Mandalore, former wielder of a lightsaber infamously known as the Darksaber. It was the first lightsaber ever created by a Mandalorian. Huge symbol of power to Jedi and Mandalorians alike and, interestingly enough, the only known lightsaber with a black, curved blade. Currently, it's being wielded by someone trying to unite Mandalore, but Sabine here learned lightsaber combat from a former Jedi, Kanan Jarrus, who was a padawan during the Clone War. Now, where's your lightsaber?" She looked pointedly at his belt where it wasn't hanging from.

"It's just in my bag," Luke replied quickly, hurrying over to where he dropped his bag by the other two pilots. He grabbed his father's lightsaber and joined the girls again.

"Good." Kal unclipped hers and handed it to Sabine. "Go easy on him. He just started lightsaber combat today."

Both of them looked at her as though she was crazy, but Sabine recovered faster than Luke, igniting the saber and its weightless blade. "Woah, it's heavier than Ezra's and the Darksaber," she realized after swinging it around a few times to get used to the grip.

"Oh, I'm sure it's heavier than Ezra's saber." Kal smirked as she leaned on the wall next to Hobbie. Sabine looked up from the cyan blade to glare unamused at Kal, not appreciating the innuendo. If Sabine was going to make baseless accusations of Kal having a crush on Luke, Kal was going to call Sabine's close relationship with Ezra into speculation. Both of the pilots next to Kal, who had met Ezra before his disappearance and presumed death, smirked and snickered along with her.

Luke, not having paid attention to the exchange, glanced between his unignited lightsaber and the Mandalorian in front of him and sighed. There was only one way to get out of sparring, and that was going through it. He turned on the laser sword and readied the blade in one of the stances Kal had shown him in their training session earlier. He had a bad feeling, knowing he was going to lose against the obviously more skilled warrior in front of him. He just didn't want it to be in front of two of his pilots and someone he had an ever-growing fondness of.

Hobbie slouched a little to whisper in Kal's ear, "Poor guy. He'll do anything to impress you, you know that right?" Kal ignored the blond in her ear as she watched Sabine make the first move using her lightsaber. Hobbie, instead of watching the spar, preferred teasing Kal. "He's always super excited before and after spending time with you, too. Big, goofy grin on his face. Walking with a spring in his step. Is there something you wanna tell me, beautiful?"

Kal huffed in frustration and harshly grabbed Hobbie's jacket, dragging him down the hall with her, away from the main group. Wedge watched in amusement before turning his attention back to the slow spar in front of him, shaking his head with a knowing smile. It was going to be a long trip.

The disappearance of the pilot and the bounty hunter didn't go unnoticed by the Jedi-in-training and the Mandalorian. Sabine definitely noticed Luke's change of pace growing more erratic until she finally disarmed him, snatching his weapon from the air. Granted, it would've happened sooner if she hadn't been going easy on him.

Holding out his saber after turning both off, Sabine said, "Control your emotions when fighting, otherwise they'll get the better of you."

Luke took his father's lightsaber back. "Pretty sure you got the better of me because you're better."

Sabine smiled. "Well, that too. But still. Even the most skilled fighters can be taken down due to not controlling their emotions. Has Kal given you the whole 'anger leads to the Dark Side' spiel yet?"

"The what?" Luke asked, his face scrunched together.

"I'm assuming that's a 'no' then," Wedge pointed out from his spot against the wall. He kicked off of it and walked over to the two. "She's told you what she is, right?"

For a moment, Luke was almost unsure of what to answer. What was Kal? She was a whole bunch of things. A spy. A Fulcrum. A Force-User. A Jedi's daughter. A bounty hunter. "A Gray Jedi?"

Both Sabine and Wren nodded. "She's a Gray Jedi because she doesn't allow her emotions to control her," Sabine explained. "But unlike the Jedi, she doesn't bury them. She uses them, but they don't overpower her. When I trained with Kanan to learn how to wield the Darksaber, he deliberately made me angry which, at first, made me lose. It wasn't because of the blade. It wasn't because I can't use the Force. It was because I was conflicted within myself and didn't know how to use my emotions to better my abilities. The same can be said for you. You would have lasted longer when sparring if you didn't let your jealousy distract you."

Luke's cheeks and ears heated up and he was about to argue, about to tell her he wasn't jealous, but Wedge cut in, saying, "You were jealous. Don't deny it, Luke. She's an attractive woman. Nothing to be ashamed of. I know she wouldn't mind." If Luke could be more embarrassed, he did. Crossing his arms and looking away from the two rebels in front of him, he was unsure of what to say.

Thankfully for him, Sabine asked, "Wanna go again?" She held up Kal's lightsaber and raised her eyebrows.

"Tha-that'd be great, thanks," he stumbled out. Wedge simply smiled and shook his head at his friend and superior officer's unease and discomfort at them picking on his liking of a girl. Granted, Kaleena Aput was an impressive girl, but Luke Skywalker was still fun to tease, nonetheless.

* * *

After hours of traveling through hyperspace overnight, the small band of rebels arrived at Alsakan the following morning, fully rested and gearing to go. Kal flew the light freighter to the valley in which Boba had trained her, finding that her former mentor hadn't arrived yet. Setting the ship down, Kal then ran her hand through her hair and took a deep breath. Waiting didn't seem fun.

The ramp opened, allowing Kal to leave the ship and embrace the warmth of the sun. The small breeze was calming, helping put her mind at ease as she took deep breaths and long exhales. Until she felt a presence at the top of the ramp. A conflicted presence that she had grown used to feeling. Kal turned her head and waved her hand, silently telling Luke it was okay to join her. His heavy boots thudded as he descended the ramp and stopped next to her, looking out at the forest around them. For a moment, they just stood there, enjoying each other's company and the relaxing atmosphere.

But Kal broke the silence. "I'm sorry about yesterday. . . for what I said in the cargo bay." She shifted her gaze down to her boots as she dug her toes into the dirt. Apologizing wasn't something she did often, but she felt it was necessary at that time. "I-I didn't mean to be rude or harsh. I know using the Force is a touchy subject. I didn't mean to-" Her voice broke and she shut her eyes. Taking another deep breath, she picked up her head and fully turned to Luke and his wide, sad eyes. "Everyone has their obstacles. Once you overcome this, I know you'll be a great Jedi. And I hope I'm there to see it."

A yelp escaped her lips as Luke brought her closer without warning. Long arms wrapped around Kal's upper torso, pulling her into a hug. She froze before slowly allowing the surprise hug, lacing her arms around Luke's lower back. He didn't tower over her like Han or Boba or Hobbie, but she still felt small in his arms. And she kind of liked it.

As much as the two wanted to continue hugging, it was their first actual hug together, disregarding the super quick one after Luke blew up a huge battle station, and they both became awkward after a couple of seconds. The two pulled apart quickly and stood a foot apart.

Wedge, Hobbie, and Sabine stood just out of sight, still in the ship, shaking their heads in exasperation at the two Force-users. They couldn't believe their friends and how much they continued to dance around each other and how they felt.

Hobbie looked at Wedge and quietly said, "You'd think she'd realize."

Wedge shook his head again. "Nah, she won't realize even if we lock them in a cockpit together. You should've seen his face though when she pulled you away."

"Would it technically be a mutiny if we locked up our commanding officer?" Hobbie asked.

"Yes," Sabine replied with exasperation, disbelieving what she was hearing from the two pilots. She wanted to smack Kal and Luke together as much as them, but forcing them probably wasn't the way to go in order to get good, lasting results and avoid Kal shooting and/or stabbing them in retaliation. It didn't help that Kal could be an 'act first, think later' type of person at times, so if she felt like she was in danger at all, she was likely to whip out a blaster or her lightsaber, meaning, locking them up was likely a recipe for disaster.

Everyone was pulled from their thoughts at the sound of a ship approaching. Kal and Luke looked up at the sky while Wedge, Hobbie, and Sabine left the ship to join the two at the base of the loading ramp.

The _Slave 1_ landed in front of Kal's temporary freighter. Kal wiped her palms on her pants, trying to be discreet about her nervousness. But Luke noticed. He shot her a supportive smile which admittingly did help calm her but not by much. There was a bounty out on basically every known rebel. Sabine was a known rebel. Hobbie and Wedge were known defectors, but Kal wasn't sure if they were known rebels. Luke, however, Kal wasn't sure about at all. His status was up in the air. Kal tried to have faith that Boba wouldn't try anything against her friends, but sometimes even Boba seemed to be a wildcard. And who knew what he had been up to in the past year?

The hatch slid open to reveal Boba Fett in all his armored glory.

At the sight of him, Kal's shoulders released all their tension as she smiled brightly. She broke out into a run as he walked down the ramp of his ship. Her body slammed into his once she jumped into his arms. Boba's sound of surprise could be heard through his helmet but he hugged her back. It had been over a year since they had last seen each other, after years of almost never leaving each other's sides. Nothing was more comforting at that moment than seeing the other again. With everything chaotic about the rebellion, Kal almost wanted to be a young girl who was still learning how to shoot once again. But she knew that could never happen. She had friends. She had a family. And hopefully, Boba wouldn't ask anything of her that she couldn't deliver.

Kal slipped out of his arms and took a step back to fully take in the elder bounty hunter. "Thank you for coming," she said quietly, looking up at the darkness covering his eyes.

"You made it sound urgent," he replied. Boba patted her on the shoulder. "Plus, I always told you I'd come if you called."

A light chuckle passed between them. "Yeah, I guess you did."

Boba tilted his head to look over at the group of young rebels still waiting at the base of the other ship. "I see you've made friends."

"No thanks to you," Kal said snarkily as she folded her arms over her chest. Sensing his confusion, she continued. "You attacked one of them less than a few days ago. We want to know why and were hoping you could give us information about other bounty hunters doing the same thing."

Boba huffed. "Invite them in." He turned on his heel and walked back up the ramp of his ship, disappearing inside. Kal gestured for her friends to follow. The small band of rebels entered the ship and made their way to the galley, following Kal at a wary pace. None of them knew what to expect. While they all trusted Kal, they didn't trust the mysterious bounty hunter with an infamous reputation. Not many bounty hunters were known across the galaxy, but Boba Fett held that honor.

The group settled in the galley, sticking close together around the seating while Boba stayed separate, near the counter, and Kal settled in between, as a mediator of sorts.

As the tallest one in the room, Boba Fett was an intimidating sight and a foreboding presence. His green armor laced with hints of red and yellow was covered in dents and scrapes and scorch marks from blaster fire, accounting for his numerous fights and wins. The braids hanging from his shoulder were trophies he had collected from prey. Nothing about Boba Fett put the minds of the young rebels at ease. He even frightened Sabine, but she refused to show it, having donned her own Mandalorian armor and helmet before he had fully landed. She did take pride in the fact that hers was real. Beskar, not the lesser durasteel.

Boba knew without much thought that the kids in front of him were rebels. Mismatched clothing. Black market blasters. A colorful Mandalorian. A ragtag group of individuals who would probably never be thrown together any other way. He had heard of the rebel Mandalorian, Sabine Wren, but never thought for a second that he would ever meet her. Not that he wanted to. The other three were most likely pilots or with Rebel Intelligence. Definitely not high-ranking officers or anything of the like otherwise they wouldn't be meeting him. Why Kal had decided to ally herself with the underdogs, he had no idea.

"So you actually joined the rebellion, huh?" Boba said quietly, so hopefully only Kal could hear. But Luke, the one closest to Kal from the others, picked up on it. "Thought I taught you better."

Kal clenched her jaw, trying to reign in her dislike of his wording. She wasn't quite sure why his statement got to her but it did. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, almost like the Force was warning her. "Look, we're just here to ask you a few questions. Then we'll be out of your hair."

"What's in it for me?" She had seen it coming. Always make certain you'll benefit from a deal. "The highest bid makes the rules. If the rebellion can pay better than the Empire, then I'm all ears."

"So it is the Empire?" Sabine interrupted, leaning on the table next to her, her voice more robotic-sounding with her helmet on. "They've hired bounty hunters to disrupt our supply routes. Probably tracking where you hit us and what direction we're going or coming from to try and find our command ships." Wedge subtly raised his hand a little hire to make sure Sabine didn't attack as her voice grew harsher and more agitated. "Using bounty hunters to try and throw us off instead of their own fighters."

Boba gazed at the young Mandalorian female. "And how would you know about how the Empire strategizes? Unless you are familiar?" Sabine, Wedge, and Hobbie tensed at the accusation. Boba took special note of how the shorter blond didn't react, who instead kept his sole focus on Kal. Not a former Imperial but definitely important in some way. "Imperial defectors are so often found amongst the rebels."

"Boba," Kal said, drawing back his attention to her. "Just tell me who else has been hired. Embo? Chanath Cha? Jas Emari? Sugi? Mercurial Swift? Zuckuss? IG-90?" The attempt of rapid-fire names didn't work to her benefit as Boba reacted to none of them.

He fully faced his former pupil. "I'm on Vader's bad side right now, so give me one good reason to not collect the bounties on all of them."

For a moment, all Kal could see was the monster everyone else saw. She couldn't believe it, but there he stood, threatening the lives and well-being of people she cared about. "Because they're my friends."

He tilted his head. "Friends? You've always cared too much about others for this job."

Scoffing, Kal stood straighter, eyes narrowing dangerously. The job? It wasn't a job. It was a dark pit of despair that paid the heartless well enough to ruin the lives of others, sometimes people who had done very little wrong. Kal was tired as she realized something. "Why? Because I'm not a merciless, empty monster like you? I've defended you to everyone I know. I thought I'd be happy to see you again. I thought you'd be happy or. . . or proud of me. You're not much different than my father. You both enforced your will, your ways of life on a young impressionable girl to better your agenda. At least my father was outright with it. He told me exactly what I was being trained for. You, on the other hand, were more manipulative and volatile. You held a blaster to a girl you had lived with for three years who you found out could use the Force. You held a harmless teenaged girl up against a wall to extract information on a pathetically easy bounty. You made her shoot a man in a crowded cantina when his information didn't fit your liking." Her words hung in the air, seeping into the growing anger and frustration surrounding the group.

But Kal continued. "Tell me: if I was still by your side when you officially joined the guild, would you have used me to take out the hunters standing in your way? People you had fought beside?" She didn't give him time to answer. "I ran into your arms because I thought you'd be better than my father. But you're not. I'm more like him than I care to admit, and if you're anything like yours? Then I'm glad Master Windu beheaded him like the bounty hunter scum he was."

Boba Fett hit his breaking point, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall while the others stood behind him with their blasters primed and aimed, ready for the triggers to be pulled. Kal didn't struggle and raised her hand calmly to keep her friends from shooting, staring into the black visor in front of her with no emotion as she ignored the grip that was just tight enough to be threatening.

"That's the difference between you and me, Boba. I made my own path away from what my father laid out for me. I found and forged my own friends and family and life. I would gladly fight tooth and nail for each rebel behind you and lay down my life for them. If it came to it, would Dengar or Bossk do the same for you? You know they wouldn't. Given the chance, they'd save their own skin every time. There was a time I would've given my life for you, too. But I guess I know better now. And if you don't want to meet the same end your father did? You'll let us leave this planet unharmed and never mention our presence to anyone."

For a tense moment, Kal and the others were unsure of whether or not Fett was going to let her go. But he slowly drew his hand away from her neck, curling his fingers into a fist once he brought his arm down to his side. He would comply.

Keeping their blasters trained on him, the rebels made their way off of his ship, Wedge grabbing Kal by her arm and pulling her along with them as she stared at the bounty hunter until they were out of his sight. The group ran back to their ship, climbing on board. Wedge and Hobbie slid into the pilot and copilot seats, respectively, and took the ship off the ground the moment it was able. Kal slid helplessly to the floor just inside the ramp as the ship flew away, staring blankly at the blank wall in front of her. Luke and Sabine sat on either side of her, providing much-needed comfort to the conflicted girl as she thought over what had transpired.

Bounty hunting never truly suited her. Neither did being a Jedi. Maybe being a rebel was exactly what she needed to be.

They hadn't even gotten the information they needed.


	26. Journey to the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uses the comic of Luke vs Boba fighting in Obi-Wan's hut. Forgot which issue sorry.

2 ABY

A few months had passed since the small band of rebels had met with Boba Fett. They had reported back to Rebel Command with what little news they had been able to ascertain, namely that their supply routes were compromised by the efforts of the Empire. The routes had to be changed and the fleet was moved. Construction had started on a new base on the remote ice world of Hoth, but the fleet wasn't stationed there quite yet if it ever would be. Kal and Luke had continued with Jedi training, mainly focusing on the saber forms since he still had a poor grasp on being able to use the Force.

A small ship was fully equipped and ready to go for the last minute trip away from the Rebel Fleet. It had just been sanctioned and was so last minute, Luke hadn't even been told. Kal marched through the command ship, trying to find the blond farmboy. She had been struck with an idea the previous night on how to help Luke connect with the Force and use it. He hadn't had any luck with her trying to teach him, so perhaps an actual master might get through to him? Her father had many artifacts and books and holorecordings in his hut. They just had to go fetch them.

She found Luke in one of the ship hangar bays with a few other pilots, namely Wedge, Hobbie, and newer recruits Kesin Ommis, Tycho Celchu, and Dak Ralter. Like Wedge and Hobbie, Tycho had defected from the Imperial Navy. Dak had been born in an Imperial labor colony. The only thing distinctly known about Kesin was his hailing from Coruscant. Together, they made up Rogue Group, with Luke being Rogue Leader and a newly appointed Captain. The only one missing seemed to be Wes Janson.

The first one to spot Kal heading towards them was Wedge. "Hey, hunter!" he called out, waving his arm with a large smile on his face. One by one, each of the other pilots turned their heads towards the woman who had captured the attention of some of Rogue Squadron's leaders. It wasn't every day that someone could manage to hook Skywalker, Antilles, and Klivian, albeit for different reasons.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence, gorgeous?" Hobbie asked with a cheeky grin.

Kal rolled her eyes. "I'm kidnapping your almighty leader. C'mon, farmboy." She waved her hand and jerked her head to signal Luke to follow her.

"Where are we going?" Luke asked as he started to follow her away from the other pilots.

"On a field trip."

"How does it feel to be replaced?" Wedge asked Hobbie as the group watched their two friends walk away.

Hobbie shook his head, strands of his blond hair falling out of place. "I haven't been replaced yet."

"You're just saying that, but I bet you haven't gotten your dick wet in a while."

Tycho, Dak, and Kesin glanced between each other, mildly confused at the exchange, yet none of them said anything. It wasn't a secret on the ship that Hobbie and Kal were sleeping together. They simply hadn't noticed the woman's growing affection for the hero of the rebellion that Wedge had seen since they had no more than a handful of conversations with her around.

* * *

The small transport reminded Kal of the _Phantom_ , just a little bigger. Gray beeped excitedly from where he rested on the back of the pilot chair as he spotted his master enter the ship. "Hey, buddy." Kal then started up the ship as Luke sat next to her in the co-pilot seat.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going or do I need to guess?" Luke asked. "Did Command clear this? How long are we gonna be gone? Is this for training?"

Smirking at his constant questions, Kal didn't answer him, instead flying the ship out of the hangar bay and programming the navi-computer with the coordinates to Tatooine. Once set, the ship entered hyperspace. "It'll be a few hours, blondie. I suggest you rest up," Kal told him, standing from the pilot seat and laying down on one of the benches. She used her arm as a pillow as she stretched out her legs and stared up at the ceiling of the ship.

"You're not going to tell me anything?" The disappointment was clear as day in his voice.

"Training can wait for when we get there. Relax for now. You've earned it, Mr. Rebellion Hero." She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

Luke scoffed at the nickname. No one had said it to his face, but he heard it whispered occasionally. He didn't feel like a hero. Luke was at least glad Kal said it jokingly rather than sincerely.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Luke decided to lay down on the bench opposite of Kal. Except instead of closing his eyes, he found himself studying Kal from the corner of his eye. Like when meditating, her body had released all of its tension. He tried to do the same thing but could never succeed. The Force continued to be an enigma to him. Just like her.

The way Kal acted with him was usually different compared to how she acted with Han or with Wedge or Sabine or Hobbie or Leia. Right when Luke believed he figured her out, she would say or do something that baffled him. Respectful and strategic with Leia. Rude sarcasm with Han. Flirty with Hobbie. Playful with Sabine. Fun-loving and joking with Wedge. But Luke? Patient and stern. Sometimes with a dash of teasing if she was in a good mood. Because of her ever-changing face, he never knew how to act around her nor what to say. It had only gotten more difficult with the falling out between her and Fett, not like she had spoken about it since. They were all keeping an eye on her because of it though.

Luke saw her open her eyes slowly and stare at the ceiling once more. He then took the chance to start a conversation. "How-how are you and Hobbie?" he inquired. He tried his hardest to sound nonchalant and relaxed, but to Kal, he came across as nervous, as per usual.

Kal raised an eyebrow but continued looking at the ceiling. "Um, we're fine, I guess."

"That's good. Good."

 _Does he actually think Hobbie and I are together?_ she thought, chancing a glance at the pilot. His fingers were drumming against his abdomen. "You know we're not actually. . . like, we're not . . . together, not really. It's just. . . fun." For lack of a better term.

"Oh, oh, I didn't, I didn't know that. It's none of my business, sorry," he apologized, though he wasn't very sincere.

"No, it's okay." Kal briefly closed her eyes, silently berating herself, before opening them again.

A few moments of silence passed between them. "So, um, what exactly do you do for the rebellion anyway? Like what is a Fulcrum?"

Kal's eyebrows pinched together at his questions, tempted to muzzle the former farmboy. "I'm an informant. I traveled a lot as a bounty hunter and picked up on a lot of dealings with the Empire, so I reported anything useful. But I haven't been doing much informing as of late, just training you and helping out in the Command Center."

Luke nodded from his spot on his bench. "Can I ask about the tattoo?"

Instead of answering his question, Kal pitched him one of her own. "What's with all the questions?" It was snappier than she had wanted, showing more frustration than she had desired, but it got her point across.

Luke's wide eyes stared over at her. "I just. . . We never really have conversations that aren't about the Jedi Order or the Force."

"Oh." Kal's voice grew soft. "I guess we don't."

"We-we don't have to talk. It's okay."

"No," Kal responded. "No, it's. . . We should get to know each other. Go ahead. Ask whatever you'd like." Kal thought she might regret saying that, but she knew Luke was right. They didn't actually know much about each other. If they were going to trust each other fully, they had to learn more about the other. Be comfortable with each other.

Luke took a moment to process her statement. Ask whatever he'd like. There was plenty he wanted to ask, but he knew he should start off simple or at least fairly simple. "Why'd you join the rebellion?"

She played with the seam of her coat. "Well, um, I had already had run-ins with a band of rebels and gotten to know them. I mean, you've met Sabine. When I found out one of them died, I joined to honor her memory. She was a Fulcrum, too. One of the best." She clearly pictured Ahsoka in her mind as she stared at the ceiling. "She would have been a great person for you to meet."

"Why's that?" Luke asked.

"She was a Jedi. She was. . . she was your father's padawan."

"What?" Luke's head snapped towards Kal as he sat up quickly, almost hitting his head on the low hanging-metal siding. "What-what was her name?"

Kal's sad eyes gazed over at the young man. She slowly sat up to be eye-level with him. "Her name was Ahsoka Tano. She was a padawan during the Clone War before she left the Order."

"Do you know why she left?"

 _Poor hopeful, optimistic, naive Skywalker_ , Kal thought as she remembered what Ahsoka had once told her in private about her last days as a padawan. "The Jedi Order was not some paradigm of perfection and goodness, Luke. They wronged her and she lost faith in them. She came to her senses and that's what saved her from the downfall of the Jedi in the end. There were many Jedi that had become disillusioned with the Order. Some were corrupted. The council literally had a Sith Lord flourishing under their noses. And they were fighting a war."

Kal fervently shook her head as she glared at the floor in front of her. "A war. Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, scholars, diplomats, not generals and commanders in charge of troops on the battlefield. They became arrogant. And then they fell, along with the Republic that they had sworn to protect. That's why she left in the first place, avoiding being slaughtered by her own troops in the process."

"You mean the Jedi Purge?" Luke asked shyly, eyes drooped and frowning.

Kal nodded. "Yeah. Anything else you wanna know?"

"N-no, I think I'm good."

After the heavy turn of the conversation, Kal laid back down and Luke stayed quiet. He realized why she tended to be quiet and stern with him. She had to be. If he was going to learn the ways of the Jedi, she didn't have time to mess around. Training him was her main focus. It probably didn't help how he was probably the only one she could talk to about anything related to the Jedi. Most other people didn't believe in the Force or still thought the Jedi had betrayed the Republic, which they didn't. They failed it.

* * *

Soon Gray woke Kal up to let her know about their arrival. Kal and Luke sat in the chairs as Kal brought the ship out of hyperspace, revealing the dustball that was Tatooine.

Luke recognized the planet almost immediately. Turning to her, Kal had a difficult time determining his emotions once he looked in her eyes. His were wary but not quite sad. They definitely hid exhaustion as well. "What are we doing here?" he asked calmly.

"We're going to my dad's hut," Kal replied as she brought the ship to the Western Dune Sea, as close to her old hut as she dared to fly. Once they landed, they readied themselves to travel, wearing light brown cloaks to ward off the blinding twin suns. Kal also carried an empty backpack, in case they were lucky and found some things. The air was dry, as usual. Both found that they hadn't missed it. They didn't miss the sand either.

"'There's nothing here for me now.' That's what I said when I left this place," Luke said as they exited the ship, their boots sinking into the coarse sand. His eyes scanned the horizon.

Kal lifted her hood to help shield her face from the sun rays. "Let's hope you were wrong." Gray was in charge of watching the ship as the two humans started making their way to the abandoned hut a few clicks away.

"Can I ask what you're hoping to find?" Luke wondered, unsure of what her answer would be.

Kal glanced at him. "As long as it hasn't been completely pillaged, there should be holorecordings, lightsaber parts, and probably a few other things. Almost everything I learned came from him, and I know I have shortcomings as a teacher. I'm hoping maybe he'll have things that will help you."

"I'm sorry I suck at this."

His continued pessimism towards his lack of advancement wasn't helping his psyche, and Kal knew it. "Luke, you can do this." She said it with such conviction that he almost believed it, but the negative voice in the back of his head said he couldn't, and it showed on his face. "So you can't move a crate or a blaster, you will. Everyone has to start somewhere, and you started with blowing up a battle station using the Force." Kal placed a hand on his as they walked, leaning toward him with a smile. It took all his effort not to blush at the contact. "You've been subconsciously using the Force your whole life. Now it's time to make it a conscious effort."

Luke's shoulders sagged as he stared at her with a lack of spirit. "But how?" he repeated.

"You might be trying too hard. The Force should come easily to you, instinctual, at least for little things. You just need to relax and open your mind. And if my constant nagging isn't enough to persuade you, maybe my dad's will be. Where do you think I get my stubbornness from?" Her small smirk made him smile.

But something else was troubling him. Something he hadn't told her. "I hear him sometimes," he confided after dropping his smile. Kal's hand left his as her eyebrows furrowed together. "I know that sounds crazy, but somehow it's really Ben's voice in my head. I don't know if I'm just going insane or it's something with the Force, but I was always kind of scared to tell you. Didn't know how you'd react to me hearing voices."

"He's speaking to you." Her words were less of a question and more of a statement of truth. Her expression unreadable, Luke stayed quiet. Thoughts and feelings swirled around in her mind since she didn't quite know what to make of the information. Her father was speaking to Luke and not her. No matter how often she meditated, searching the Force for guidance and answers, her father never reached out. But he readily spoke to Luke. She didn't know if that made her mad or sad. Perhaps a mix of both. He was her father, not Luke's. Luke had friends. Luke had a purpose. Luke had guidance. Kal lost her father. Kal lost her mentor. Kal lost the only Jedi she'd ever met. Even when with her friends, Kal felt alone, isolated, different. She jumped from place to place, job to job, people to people, because she didn't feel like she belonged anywhere. She was a constant screw up, and Luke was the hero. So why didn't her father talk to her?

"I'm assuming by your silence, talking to ghosts isn't normal, even for Jedi," Luke said quietly, tugging at the sleeves on his cloak.

Kal sighed, letting her agitation go. He didn't deserve her anger and frustration. He was struggling too, in fairly similar ways. But she couldn't bring herself to tell him that his father had turned to the Dark Side, that his father had killed her's, that his father had hunted down and killed many Jedi, that his father helped rule the Empire. It would break him. And she couldn't let that happen. "It. . . it's complicated. I have no doubt that you're actually hearing him." She took a moment to figure out how she wanted to explain it to him. "Part of the Jedi Code is believing that when you die, you become one with the Force, which is good and all, but one Jedi found a way to transcend death, to continue living after death through the Force. My dad was learning how to do it, which means you are actually hearing him. He's speaking to you through the Force. If you open yourself up to the Force more, you should be able to commune with him as well. Try it."

About half an hour passed as Luke tried to calm his mind and open himself up to the Force while they walked, regulating his breathing and trying to overcome his fears and concerns. He worried about living up to his father's legacy. He worried about letting down his friends. He worried about the war against the Empire. He worried about seeing the disappointment in Kal's eyes if he wasn't able to move anything. Realistically, he knew she wouldn't hate him or anything for having difficulties overcoming what he had already learned, but he wanted so badly to prove himself that it manifested in ridiculous thoughts.

Occasionally, Kal would glance over at Luke and see his worry and frustration take over his expression. He would flex his fingers, clench his jaw and fists, take strangled deep breaths, and stretch his neck, all in efforts to relax or in response to not being able to. Kal didn't need to be her father to recognize that his shortcomings came from overthinking, lack of true maturity, and attachment issues. While Kal readily formed attachments, she had learned to never let them hold her back, otherwise, she would've been stuck on Tatooine far longer than she would have liked.

The point had come for a guiding hand. She decided to do something her father would frown upon. Kal stood straighter as they continued forward across the sand dunes and closed her eyes. Feeling Luke's Force-signature, she reached out and used hers to mitigate his emotions. The tension oozed out of Luke, allowing him to transcend the conflict within him, at least for a brief moment.

Luke gasped as his mind was brought back to reality after the few seconds of pure tranquility. "What was that?" he asked, looking at Kal.

"That was what you're supposed to feel when letting the Force flow through you. Come on, the house is just over there." All thoughts and words were cut off by the familiar sounds of a Tusken Raider jumping out from behind a rock formation. "Sand People! Look out!" Kal unclipped and ignited her lightsaber, slashing through the gaffi stick that the Tusken Raider swung at her.

Luke ignited his own lightsaber and rushed towards Ben's hut to scare off the other Sand People. "Get away from there!" he yelled, swinging the laser sword. The easily startled group quickly ran off, leaving the small dwelling alone for the time being. Kal joined Luke's side, her blade on to shine light into her old house. "Suddenly, I'm not so hopeful. Look at this mess." Everything in the main room was trashed. The table was upturned. The bed scorched. The appliances pillaged. "Didn't look like those Sand People made off with anything, but I'm guessing there wasn't much here, to begin with."

"Look around up here, I'm going to check the cellar," Kal told him, not waiting for his reply before opening up the heavy, mildly rusted cellar hatch and plopping down inside. As she heard Luke ruffle around the disaster upstairs, the cellar seemed to be mostly untouched as she shined her lightsaber around the small room. Other than a layer of dust coating everything, it didn't seem like even her father had been down there much after she had left. Everything was exactly how she remembered it. Taking off her backpack, Kal scooped boxes of lightsaber parts into the bag.

After filling the bag with the parts, she felt the familiar nudging of the Force guiding her to her bed. Kal narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the small bed she had once curled up in. Nothing seemed wrong with it, but Kal ruffled the blanket and pillow anyway, then knelt on the floor to look under the bed. There sat a small metal box. Kal pulled it out and looked at the lid.

"For Kaleena," she read aloud, wiping off the dust.

A bang went off upstairs as the cellar door slammed shut with a startled yell. Kal jumped to her feet and screamed, "Luke!" She shoved the box into her backpack, shouldered it, and scrambled up the ladder to the cellar door and tried to push it open but it didn't budge. Through the thick metal and the hum of her saber, all she could hear was muffled voices.

Urging herself to remain calm, Kal reached out with the Force to get a sense of what was going on above her, and she felt a familiar presence by Luke. "Boba." She had to get up there, but the only way out was the cellar door, which something heavy was on. She hadn't actively used the Force to move something larger than her lightsaber or a holocron in years. Her specialty was combat, not Force tricks. She tried to focus long enough to use the Force to move whatever was blocking the door, but it didn't budge. All her thoughts and energy were focused on Luke and his safety.

Up above was a blinded Luke Skywalker and an angry Boba Fett. Fett wasn't surprised to find out that one of the rebels who had accompanied Kal to meet him was none other than the rebel who had destroyed the Death Star. Darth Vader would be pleased to finally have the rebel in his grasp. Fett kicked the young rebel in the face and said, "You could've walked, but I can just as easily carry you to my ship."

To Fett's surprise, Skywalker, just a boy no older than Kal, quickly got to his feet and ignited a lightsaber. "I'm not going anywhere with you," Luke replied.

The color was slightly different than Kal's, pure blue rather than offset with some blue-green, Fett noticed, but he didn't dwell on it, instead focusing on the blind rebel in front of him. "You can't fight me blind. You couldn't fight me even if you could see."

"A Jedi doesn't need eyes."

Fett had to hand it to the kid. He had bravery. "Maybe. But I've met a fair few, and you're no Jedi."

"No, I'm not, but I knew one once. And this was his home. You should never have come here."

Fett didn't have time to react to the rebel as Skywalker slashed at him with the bright blue laser sword. Fett dodged the erratic moves of the rebel and moved to use his whipcord on the young man, but Skywalker sliced the cord midair. To avoid being sliced in half as well, Fett dodged again but fell as he tripped over an upturned chest.

"Your armor's noisy," Luke pointed out.

This only made Fett angrier. _Were all Jedi or Jedi-wannabe's jaunty?_ "So's your mouth." As they fought, Kal got an idea and stuck her lightsaber through the thick metal door, starting to cut a hole while Fett knocked Skywalker to the ground. Neither noticed due to the divide between the kitchen, where the door was located, and the living area. "You're running out of options. And blood. Put down the lightsaber."

"No. Ben. . . Ben would never. . ." Luke's breathing was ragged as he bled from cuts on his lip and cheek. The metallic taste in his mouth only spurned him on more.

"Kenobi's dead. He can't help you."

"He. . . He already has."

As Skywalker tried to stand, Fett shot him in the shoulder. Luke cried out, much to Kal's chagrin since she felt his pain through the Force as she finished cutting through the cellar door and whatever had landed on top of it. "You were right," Fett said. "I'm supposed to bring you in alive, but 'alive' just means breathing."

Luke held his father's lightsaber in front of him as he tried his best to stand tall and work through the pain. He remembered the words Ben had told him on the _Millennium Falcon_ two years prior. "A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," he muttered.

"Feel this." Fett fired his blaster, only to have the bolt blocked by the lightsaber. Fett flew forward with his jetpack and crashed into Luke. The two grappled for the fallen lightsaber as Kal used the Force to blast open the hole she had cut with as much emotion as she could. The metal circle and a piece of the refrigerator unit she had ended up slicing through hit the ceiling of the hut with a loud smash, startling the two above. A box hit the back of Fett's helmet, stunning him for long enough for Kal to jump out of the cellar and land on the upper floor, lightsaber in hand. Her panicked eyes quickly found Luke as he scurried away from the bounty hunter.

Kal's eyes narrowed in on her former mentor and he looked up at her in return. The sight of him and an injured Luke filled her with immense anger and desperation. Quickly reaching out with the Force, Kal lifted Fett off the floor and slammed him against the wall of her home. Her eyes wide and nostrils flared, Kal glared at the bounty hunter as she used the Force to hold him against the old synstone walls. Fett tried his hardest to struggle against her hold, watching her walk closer to him.

"Are you going to kill me?" Fett asked.

Kal's anger slowly dissipated into despair as she stared at his familiar armor that the sight of used to bring her a sense of safety. "Oh, Boba, you know I can't do that. . . But I can do this." She willed him towards her slowly, only to push him through the wall with as much power as she could muster, knowing his armor would protect him and effectively rendering him unconscious. Her shoulders sagged and she put away her saber as exhaustion coursed through her. She hadn't used the Force like that in too long. The hole in the wall allowed Kal to see the darkness of the sky outside. _Darkness_.

"Luke!" She gasped as she turned around to see Luke sitting up against an old appliance. Hurrying over to him, she knelt next to him and took his head in her hands as she assessed his injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Kal, he-he used a flash grenade," he explained, eyes wide and not looking directly at her. "I can't see."

She could hear the panic in his voice. "Hey, hey, it's alright." Her fingers ran over his messy hair in an attempt to calm him. "Your sight will come back soon. We should get back to the ship before he regains consciousness."

Kal began to help him up. "Wait, there was a box. It had my name on it." Despite not being able to see anyway, Luke tried looking around for the mysterious metal chest.

Glancing around, Kal spotted it and picked it up, noting the "For Luke" written on the top, similar to hers. "I've got it," she reassured, handing it to him. "I don't have any more room in my pack, so you're gonna have to hold it while I guide you back." He nodded and allowed her to help him off the dirty floor. He leaned heavily on her, but she didn't mind. By the look of him, Luke had taken a rough beating by Fett before Kal busted out of the old cellar. The two stumbled back to the ship as fast as possible, with Kal comming Gray halfway through for him to start up the ship and prepare for their arrival.

Once they entered the small transport, Kal laid Luke down on one of the benches to rest while she got them off Tatooine. The moment they entered hyperspace, Kal checked on Luke, who was slouching against the wall and staring at the box on his lap. His gaze turned to her when she sat down next to him. "I can see again. Mostly."

She smiled at him. "That's good. We should probably get you cleaned up. Wouldn't want Command to freak out when they see you."

It made him laugh. "There isn't exactly a refresher in here."

"Guess we'll just have to sneak you back to your quarters as quickly as we can." Luke's eyebrows rose a fraction, but Kal didn't notice. She looked down at the box he held. "Looks like we got what we came for. You should open it."

The moment she tried to stand to give him privacy, Luke's hand shot out and grabbed hers, stopping her from walking back to the pilot seat. "Stay. Please. . . He was your father. You should see what's in it, too." Looking into his eyes, Kal couldn't say 'no'. She sat back down and folded her legs under her, the top of her head brushing up against the low overhang of the alcove. Luke thumbed open the box to reveal the contents inside. Confusion spread across his face as he held up the only object inside. "The Journals of Ben Kenobi."


	27. Kenobi's Legacy

2 ABY

Kal and Luke exchanged a glance. A book. Her father had left Luke a book. Sometimes that man made no sense. The two practically didn't know what to do with it. Books were almost obsolete at that time in the galaxy. Most things were stored on datapads, in holorecordings, or in holobooks, not real books. Luke moved the box from his lap to the floor, never taking his eyes off the book.

"Are you going to open it?" Kal asked, also staring at the leather cover of the book.

Luke ignored her question and asked one of his own. "Did you know he was writing a journal?"

"Every time I think I knew him best, something happens to remind me that I definitely didn't." She didn't sound too particularly disappointed with that knowledge. And she truly wasn't, at least not anymore. "Open it."

Listening to her, Luke opened the book to the first page and began reading aloud. "'As hard as it was to become a Jedi, it was even harder to stop being one. But I did. By the time of the Great Drought, it had been years since I'd touched a lightsaber. Years spent hiding on Tatooine. Years spent almost completely alone. I wasn't General Obi-Wan Kenobi anymore. I was no longer a Jedi Master. I was only Ben. Quiet Old Ben who lived far out in the Dune Sea, where nothing but womp rats and Tusken Raiders ever dared to go. Ben the Forgotten Hermit. Ben the Relic. One day blurred into the next, with little to distinguish them. Instead of Sith Lords and bounty hunters, my days were spent battling monotony and inactivity. All that kept me going was my daughter, who with every passing day looked even more like her mother.'

"'I should have been busier than ever. I should have been training two younglings instead of one. But his uncle never allowed it. And I supposed there was a part of me that couldn't blame him. The last Skywalker I tried to train was gone. They were all gone. All the Jedi. And sometimes I wondered if I should have gone with them. But I did still have a job to do. And I did it the best I could. If I couldn't train the boy, I could at least keep him safe and hope there would come a day when he'd realize for himself that he was meant to be more than just a farmer. I'd train my daughter as best I could, knowing she was meant for more as well.'"

 _Meant to be more_. The words echoed in Luke and Kal's minds as Luke paused while reading.

"'It was the worst drought anyone could remember. The moisture farmers could barely gather enough water from their vaporators to keep themselves alive, let alone to trade in town for food and supplies. Especially with Jabba's thugs collecting 'water taxes.' Rumor was that the bloated gangster took lavish baths all throughout the day, lest he perspire in the heat. But I didn't believe that rumor. I'd met Jabba. Jabba had never bathed in his life. But it was no rumor that people were dying. And I was letting it happen. One day I went into town to trade black melons that grow in the Jundland wastes but Jabba's thugs interrupted my conversation with one of the vendors. The townspeople were angry and the thugs tried to shoot them, but I used the Force to cause the guns to malfunction. The people chased off the thugs.'

"'I shouldn't have done that and I knew it. There was too much at risk. After that day, I decided it was best if I didn't go into town anymore. I tried to commune with Master Qui-Gon to get answers, to get strength, something, anything, but I sensed something else.'

"'I could sense it from across the Dune Sea. One of the jobs I still had left, I had just failed at. Leaving my daughter alone was hard, but I tracked the boy to a group of Jabba's thugs. They wanted to take him as a slave for standing up to them. I stopped them but the boy got hurt in the process. He was just as brave as his father at his age. His aunt and uncle were happy to see him safe but not happy to see me.'

"'The farmers got their water back. Enough to survive a bit longer. About a week later, the drought finally lifted and their vaporators started churning again. Jabba was enraged and vowed to scour the desert to find the thief. But no one knew who he was. Not the guards he'd beaten or the farmers he'd helped. No one knew what he looked like. No one knew to call him. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last of my Order. But this is not the end of the Jedi. All it took was a young boy's courage and the growing strength of my daughter to assure me of that. Let us hope that someday soon I can tell that boy this story. And so many others.'"

That was only the first entry. Luke quickly flipped through the pages in the hopes of finding something useful, but he didn't. Granted, he didn't look very closely anyway. He turned in a huff to look at Kal. She was equally annoyed. "Stories. I nearly died fighting your old mentor, and all for what? All Ben left me was a book of stories." He shut the book. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this. I don't see where this book would tell me anything about being a Jedi and using the Force. What if you weren't with Han on that random day and we hadn't met? This is supposed to have helped me?" He waved the book around, not amused in the slightest.

Luke didn't say anything else which allowed Kal to think over the book. It had mentioned her. Not her name, per se, but it might later in the book or enough clues for someone to figure out her identity. "What if. . ." she started, trailing off for a few moments. "What if it was a way to force us to meet? Think about it. It might not have explanations or a step-by-step process outright, but it mentioned me. If you didn't actually know me but you found out Ben had a daughter who he was training, wouldn't you try to find me to get trained?"

"You've got a point," he conceded. "It's still frustrating."

She offered him a smile. "I'm not saying it isn't."

He slouched against the wall of the ship with sad eyes. "I'm sorry I sound ungrateful. I was just expecting more, I guess."

Kal would forever wonder why he apologized so much. Having feelings and expressing your opinion wasn't something that someone should be sorry for. "I'd be pissed, too. I kind of am on your behalf. Don't worry."

Luke tried to put on a smile. "Did you find anything before we were rudely interrupted?"

Chuckling, Kal rubbed her wrist as she thought about what happened back at her old hut. The destruction of it alone was hard to process. She had almost forgotten what she had found. "He barely touched the cellar since I'd left. It had been my room. We've now got lightsaber parts."

The more time he spent with Kal, the more Luke was able to point out her tendencies and hidden feelings. It was a slow process, but it was progressing. At that moment, he noticed the sad and conflicted look in her eyes, in the slight downturn of her lips, in the way she wouldn't look directly at him. "He left you something, too, didn't he?" Although posed as a question, Kal knew it wasn't. Luke watched as she bowed her head, her armored grip tightening on her other wrist like it was something to ground her. "Why don't you wanna open it?"

If she couldn't be honest with Luke, who could she be honest with? She spent so much time putting up walls and searching for answers, that maybe she just needed to talk. Let it out. Sighing, her grip loosened on her wrist, forcing herself to let go and release the tension.

"I guess I'm just scared," she admitted. She almost couldn't believe she had said something. When was the last time she truly spoke about something she felt without deflecting or taking her anger out on someone? "I hadn't left on good terms. And when we split ways on the Death Star, he said he was proud of me, but there's always been a thought in my mind that says he wasn't really."

Luke leaned forward and rested a hand on her arm. "What are you talking about? Don't say that. He was your father, of course, he was proud."

She stared emptily at the other bench in front of them, ignoring how close to her Luke sat and the warmth spreading from his hand. "How could he? I'm not a Jedi. I became a bounty hunter: the same thing that killed my mom. I've captured and killed for profit. I've done nothing truly good with my abilities, except relaying information to the rebellion. And as much as I try to train you, nothing seems to work. The only things you've learned from me is history and how to fight. Is that all I'm good for? Wielding a lightsaber and shooting a blaster? Even my connections don't seem to last very long. My mother is dead. My father is dead. My mentor is selfish. All three Jedi I've met and grown to care for have died. My thing with Hobbie is just pure sex, not even a real relationship. I barely ever see Han, Chewie, Sabine, or Leia. You, Wedge, and Hobbie are almost always busy. As much as I like to say that I've found my own people, I'm still alone. And I know that all of you would be perfectly fine without me no matter how much I care about you."

It felt good to get her thoughts off her chest. It felt good to finally say what was constantly humming in the back of her mind, the thoughts even she barely dared to admit to herself. A huge weight felt like it was lifted off her shoulders. She didn't have to hide it. It was out in the open and plain for the world to see. Well, "world" meaning Luke. It still plagued her, but the denial was over.

The two sat in silence for longer than they'd care to admit. Neither knew what to say or how to proceed. Luke realized Kal had been struggling far more than she let on. She let them see the face that protected her. She didn't like feeling weak or vulnerable, but for some reason, she confided in him. And Luke was overcome with the urge to try and help her the way she helped him. Finally, he worked up the courage to speak, still holding onto her arm with a gentle grip.

"You wanna know where I'd be without you? Scrambling. Lost. Confused. I'd feel just as alone. You may not see it, but you were an important calming presence for me. You still are. You gave me answers which helped put my mind at ease. I finally feel like I'm doing something worthwhile because of you. Even going on missions doesn't really help with that. . ." His quiet, soothing voice trailed off as he mustered up the courage to continue speaking, not noticing her change in expression from sadness to awe. "As much as I believe your dad was proud of you, who cares?" Kal turned to face him. She wasn't expecting that from Luke, the person who seemed to care about absolutely everything.

He kept going. "Who cares what he thinks? Who cares what anyone thinks? You've been through so much. You're strong. And you know what? You shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. Stop relying on others. Don't let your dad's problems hold you down. Don't let Fett's words get to you. Their opinions don't matter. It's your life, not theirs. Keep moving. Keep going. Do it until you feel comfortable. Do it until you know exactly what you want and exactly what you need. No one else will be able to tell you. But I'll gladly be there every step of the way if you'd have me. If you don't want to look in that box, that's fine. But just know, I'll be right here with you no matter what, the same as you have been with me. And I know the others would say the same."

His stern, quick voice cut off to make way for a softer, more reassuring turn. "You give so much and you care so much, but you refuse to let it show. You help everyone around you and you can't even see it. Let us in. Allow us to help. You might just like the results."

Hobbie had said something similar that fateful day of the destruction of the Death Star.

_All I'm saying is you spend so much time having fun without a care in the world that maybe you can let yourself care for once._

She always cared. Never outwardly, though. She liked to act like she didn't. It was easier. It was safer. But that didn't mean it was better. Maybe that was the only thing from Jedi training that had stuck with her.

_There is no emotion._

Except there was. There always was. The only thing she allowed herself to show was anger. And it needed to stop. Luke was right. No one else could do it for her. But they would support her.

Brushing his hand aside, Kal reached out with her arms and pulled Luke into a hug, burrowing her face in his shoulder. It only took Luke a moment to overcome his shock before he wrapped his arms around her, gladly hugging her back and resting his non-injured cheek on the top of her head. It was comforting to simply sit there and hold onto each other, letting all their worries and fears fade away. Their limbs, joints, and muscles let go of all the tightness embedded inside, allowing the two to relax fully and completely as time seemed to slow during the embrace.

"Thank you," Kal whispered. Luke barely heard her, but since he did, his arms tightened around her. The hug was nice. A lot nicer than their previous one. Neither wanted to let go. In each other's arms, it was as if the galaxy only had the two of them. No Empire. No Rebellion. They both knew it couldn't last forever.

When Kal pulled away, she immediately wanted to hug Luke again, but she forced herself to sit up. Looking in his eyes, she knew he felt the same. She turned away, gazing over at her pack discarded by the pilot seat. Reaching out with the Force, she carried the backpack over to them, grabbing it with her hand once within distance. She opened the top flap and pulled the metal box out. Her name was still etched on the lid as she let the bag fall to the floor. Kal looked back up at Luke and he nodded with a reassuring smile. He wasn't going anywhere unless she told him to.

Prying open the box, Kal scanned the inside with her eyes and immediately froze at the contents. Her training lightsaber, the crystal she had left, and a holodisc sat inside. With her long shaky fingers, Kal picked up the lightsaber.

"Who's lightsaber is that?" Luke asked, studying the black grip and silver trimming.

"Master Qui-Gon Jinn. My dad's former master. The one who learned how to continue on through the Force after death. I used this lightsaber to train with as a child before I built my own." She set it back down and picked up the green lightsaber crystal. "This is a kyber crystal. They're Force-attuned crystals that focus the energy in a lightsaber and create the blade. When my dad thought I was old enough, he gave me a handful of crystals to choose from. I don't know whose signatures they were attuned to, but I took most of them with me. Except for this one. I didn't want to leave him without an extra crystal just in case, and I thought it was wrong to take the lightsaber with me."

He stared at the green crystal between Kal's fingers. "I guess this is his way of giving them back."

"Yeah." She set the crystal back in the box and grabbed the holodisc. "Wonder what's on this." She climbed off the bench, set the box down where she had just been sitting, and shuffled over to the dash, sliding the disc into the holoterminal.

A hologram flickered on of a woman holding a baby. Kal straightened her back when she saw it, which Luke didn't miss. The woman gazed lovingly down at the small bundle in her arms as she swayed back and forth and started singing. "In the morning when you rise, I bless the sun, I bless the skies. I bless your lips, I bless your eyes. My blessing goes with you. In the night time when you sleep, oh, I bless you while a watch I keep. As you lie in slumber deep, my blessing goes with you. This is my prayer for you. There for you, ever true. Each every day for you, in everything you do. And when you come to me, and hold me close to you, I bless you, and you bless me too."

As the message ended, the hologram turned off.

Kal stared blankly at where the hologram had been. It was her and her mother. She knew it. The woman had the same necklace that Kal always wore. Kal had the same dark hair and eyes. Kal could see why her father always told her she looked like her mother. As she stood there, she realized there was a tear resting on her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and sniffled then wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She didn't hear Luke come up behind her until he spoke. "Was that-?" He broke his question off as she nodded. "Are you okay?"

No, she wasn't. Kal whipped around and buried her face into Luke's shoulder again without a thought. Gray beeped sadly from his spot next to the holoterminal as Luke held Kal in his arms. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to be held.

* * *

An hour later, as the ship continued through hyperspace, Kal and Luke sat on the floor of the small transport with their shoulders pressed against each other and legs spread out in front of them. Kal's head laid on Luke's shoulder as he read aloud from her father's journal. It was the closest thing either of them could get to having old Obi-Wan Kenobi there with them.

"I can't believe you killed a krayt dragon at thirteen," Luke said as he finished Ben's rendition of the story. "The Sand People practically revere anyone who can do that."

"Wonder what I'd do with everyone bowing down to me," Kal joked in return. "I might make a holiday where everyone has to tease Han."

Luke chuckled. "Isn't that every day?" Kal laughed at his response. "But seriously, I think you'd be a great ruler. Definitely better than the Emperor."

"Wow, those are some really high standards. Whatever will I do?" she asked sarcastically. "Thanks so much for the faith you have bestowed upon me. Bow to your new Queen."

Luke bowed his head and did a little flourishing gesture with his hand in a mock bow without actually moving from his spot next to her. He didn't want to give her a cause to move from his shoulder, but he still liked hearing her laugh, which she did.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. It was easy-going and allowed for them to get used to being relaxed in each other's company and recall the long day they had had away from the main rebellion. Until the Empire was defeated, they would never truly be away from the rebellion, but the time away from the fleet, away from the main fight, was a close as they could get, and their day had been spent on their home planet, searching for answers, and fighting a bounty hunter.

As Luke thought over the events of the day, he remembered something he hadn't thought about at that moment. He turned his head towards the box Ben had left for him. It had come out of seemingly nowhere during his fight with Fett.

Kal could feel his confusion and conflict through the Force, but since neither of them had said anything, she didn't know why all of a sudden he was feeling the emotions. "What's wrong?" she asked delicately, moving her hand to his while picking up her head from his shoulder to look at him.

"It's-it's nothing, it's just. . . " His voice trailed off as he looked at the metal box. "During the fight, I think. . . I think I used the Force."

"Really?" Kal wanted to burst into a grin but held off, waiting to gauge his reaction.

"Yeah, we were struggling on the floor. He was trying to get my lightsaber and you had just cut open the cellar door. We were both stunned by the noise and he was hit by the box. It came out of nowhere. Nothing else makes sense. Unless you did it, but you were kinda busy. Could it have been me?"

"What does your gut tell you?" she countered. He had to answer it himself. He had to believe it before she could confirm it. Kal definitely hadn't used the Force on a random box she hadn't seen before. Not to mention, the burst of emotion she had used to will the cut pieces of the cellar door and refrigerator unit was the first time in a long time she had used the Force to such an extent. She didn't immediately use it on a small box right after the initial display of power. And there was no way Fett had hit his own self in the head.

Luke slowly nodded, not looking anywhere but the box. "I think I did. . . I did. I-I used the Force." He quickly turned to her, eyes bright and grin wide. "I used the Force. I finally used the Force." Luke hugged Kal as tight as he could, knocking the wind out of her as she laughed lightly at his excitement. After months and years of him being unable to let himself open up to the Force, he had finally used it to move something. She was proud.

Once he pulled back, their eyes met. For a brief moment, Kal and Luke stared, their emotions running high in the charged atmosphere of the small ship. Both felt a sudden urge to lean forward. And they did, a tiny fraction of an inch before they immediately stopped and turned away, embarrassed and hoping the other didn't notice.

Kal cleared her throat and looked at him again, trying to get over her awkwardness as fast as possible. "You should try and move the box again. This time not instinctually."

"Right, yes, of course."

"Oh, and, uh," Kal stammered as she opened her box back up again, grabbing the crystal from it. She turned back to Luke and held out the green rock. "This might help with focusing."

* * *

The return to the Rebel Fleet seemed slower than their journey to Tatooine, but the moment they landed in the hangar bay, the two immediately began making their way to the crew's quarters, trying to avoid interacting with anyone lest they question the roughed-up state of Luke and what they carried. The only friends that saw them were Han and Chewie, but Han snickered at their quick footing and the two smugglers carried on their repairs for the _Falcon_.

Due to Luke's status as an officer, he had his own quarters, compared to enlisted personnel. Granted, none of the personal quarters were big, but they had their own refreshers, and that was good enough for Kal and Luke if they wanted to keep their altercation with Boba Fett on the down-low.

Kal hopped up onto the counter after grabbing a rag and soaking it in water. "Come here," she ordered. Luke stepped closer to where she sat and she grabbed his jaw to get a better look at the cut on his cheek and keep his head steady. The wound had stopped bleeding, which they were both happy for. Kal dabbed the cut with the damp cloth to clean it as well as the surrounding area.

"You know, I can clean it myself," Luke said, trying his hardest not to be flustered at how close her face was to his.

"A man's version of cleaning wounds never seems to be the same as a woman's." Luke took a sharp intake of breath as she pressed on the wound. He tried to move away, but her grip on his jaw only tightened. "Don't be a baby. It looks deeper than I thought it was. You'll probably need bacta."

"I think there's a medkit in the cupboard." Kal pulled her feet up onto the counter so Luke could open the cupboard under the sink to grab the kit.

"At least I'm not taking you to the infirmary for some synthskin," Kal said as Luke handed her the small box of medical supplies. She popped it open, pulled out the small tube of bacta ointment, and set the kit aside. With Luke's cheek clean, Kal squeezed out a small amount of bacta and spread it evenly over the long cut. "You should clean the rest of your face. You're covered in sand and grime. And maybe put some bacta on your busted lip. Take it easy for the next few days. I don't know how Fett handed your ass to you, but don't be surprised to find bruising everywhere. And drink some water. You might have a concussion if your inability to stay upright without swaying is anything to go by." She rattled off the advice like she was used to it. Luke figured she had probably patched up Han or Fett a few times. Or herself. She looked deep into his eyes. "Get some rest."

Luke hadn't missed the bags under her eyes. She was just as exhausted as he felt. "You should, too."

It had been a long day for both of them. Neither wanted to admit that they needed to rest, but they would do as the other told them anyway.


	28. An Echo of Ice and Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone like the play on the chapter title?

3 ABY

Commander Luke Skywalker stood at the base of the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_ with a broad grin and open arms with R2-D2 by his side as Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Kaleena Aput descended into the newly established rebel base. The base wasn't a hundred percent up and running, but it was nearing completion and needing all the help it could get. The humans were all bundled in cold-weather gear since they were on the remote ice planet of Hoth. It was the first time the trio had stepped foot in the new base and Luke was happy to be the one to greet them.

"Welcome to Echo Base," Luke exclaimed as he moved to give each of his friends a hug, Kal's lasting mildly longer than the other two. "How was the mission?"

"Let's just say I have no intention of going to Ord Mantell anymore," Han replied gruffly, eyes flickering between Kal and Luke. He avoided smirking at their close proximity, standing shoulder to shoulder. "How you doing, kid? Heard you got promoted since the last time I saw you, _Commander_ Skywalker. It's got a nice ring to it."

"Oh, yeah." Luke bowed his head sheepishly and Kal couldn't help but smile softly at his slight embarrassment, which Han didn't miss. "Commander Narra died at the Battle of Derra IV, so now that's me."

"Kid, regardless of when you got the title, you wouldn't have been given it if you didn't deserve it." While Han didn't often show his sentimental side, he knew just when to show it to help those he cared about. And the old farmboy from Tatooine who had the most obvious crush on Han's gunner was one of them.

Kal nudged the blond with her elbow and a grin. "Come on, Commander. You gonna show us around or what?" she cheekily asked. Gray beeped excitedly at the suggestion, wanting to get out of the hangar and go deeper into the base where it was likely warmer. The cold did not mix well with his circuitry. Both young Force-users completely missed the exasperated look Han gave Chewie. He was tired of the two dancing around each other and their complete lack of admittance towards their ever-growing feelings that were completely apparent to everyone around them.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Luke stumbled, shaking his head. "Come on, follow me." Luke waved his hand for the three to follow him and Artoo through the new base. After leaving Hangar Bay 7, he showed them the Tauntaun pen, which Han had some choice words about regarding the small, the Command Center, where they saw Leia, the briefing room, medical center, main hangar bay, and, lastly, the barracks. The humans, Wookiee, and droids stood in the hall. "It's not much, but it's home for now."

"I don't know," Han said, rubbing his hands together. "Isn't home supposed to be warm?" Kal rolled her eyes and smirked and Chewie let out a small laugh, both of which Han glared at. "Sorry, I don't have a full body of fur or some mystical energy keeping me warm."

"Or you can just put some better clothes on," Kal suggested while shrugging her shoulders. Luke covered his face with his hand to hide his grin and laugh.

Han glared at both of them. "Alright, alright. If it's gonna be like that, I'll take my leave. Come on, Chewie." The smuggler stalked off with a laughing Chewbacca following close behind.

Kal and Luke chuckled while they watched their friends disappear down the corridor. Gray and Artoo beeped in amusement. Kal turned to Luke bundled in his snow gear. She hadn't thought the bright orange flight suits would ever be better than another outfit, but the Hoth uniform did not suit anyone. Even Luke, who seemed like he might look good in anything, had some difficulty pulling it off. He looked awkward and uncomfortable in it, which didn't fit him at all.

"They're still working on getting the tunnels better insulated, but it might be another day or so," Luke said off-handedly to fill the silence once he had noticed Kal wringing her fingers in what he believed was an effort to increase blood circulation.

It wasn't. She just didn't know what to say and needed to physically do something. She was glad he started the conversation though. "Han was just being a drama queen. He'll get over it." She paused for a moment and turned to him with a playful grin and a single eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly. "He'll probably find something else to complain about in a few days. Maybe next it'll be the Tauntauns or him slipping on the ice or Leia being angry with him again."

Luke laughed at the options. It sounded like Han. But before he could add anything, his comm started beeping. Luke let out a groan. "I have to go on patrol."

"Can't say I envy you." Kal offered him a small reassuring smile. "Be safe out there."

Nodding his head, Luke replied, "I will. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

A snort escaped Kal along with a chuckle. "No promises." Luke's comm started beeping again. "You better get going before your patrol partner or Command start hunting you down."

A smirk pulled at his lips. "Well, the bounty hunter they'd send has already found me. Catch ya when I get back?" Kal nodded in agreement and then the Commander ran off to the Tauntaun Pen.

Kal made her way to the main hangar bay, not knowing what to do with her time. After she and Han had run into a bounty hunter on Ord Mantell, they had been cleared for two days of rest. Not that she needed it. She hadn't been injured and didn't feel overly exhausted. She'd much rather have been doing something useful with her time, like patrols or intelligence work. Or even mechanic work since she wasn't terrible with engineering, especially when she used the Force to guide her.

When she entered the large hangar, she spotted personnel carrying crates out of one of the transports. One of them was Hobbie, who looked as though he was struggling with his particular crate. Kal rushed over and took the other side of it, helping balance out the heavy crate and Hobbie.

Hobbie tossed her a grateful grin and said, "Thanks."

"Are there no more hover-sleds?" she asked, silently wondering what was in the heavy crate, her muscles straining as she and Hobbie worked together to carry it to one of the storage areas.

"The few we have are either being used or damaged or still need to be cold-adapted," he answered, and Kal groaned in response. Granted, she could use the Force to carry it, but not everyone in the rebellion knew about her abilities. It wasn't like it was advertised, like her having been a bounty hunter or friends with Luke, Han, and Leia definitely seemed to be.

The two set down the crate on top of another one in the storage room off the main hangar bay. They continued carrying more crates together along with a few other rebels until Kal noticed one of them struggling with putting a small crate on the top shelf and dropped it onto the ice and metal floor. Kal, Hobbie, and the rebel who dropped it froze as thermal detonators spilled out of the metal crate, sliding across the floor, two of them blinking. For a split second, no one moved. Kal came out of her stupor first, eyes wide as she looked up at Hobbie and the other rebel. Then she used the Force to shove them out of the storage room with a loud cry.

The thermal detonators exploded, throwing the Hobbie and the other rebel even further out of the room and Kal into the back wall, the Force unable to completely protect her from the explosion. Her vision went black as her head slammed into the ice, a strange mixture of excruciating heat and unbearable cold coursing over her skin from both sides.

Rebels all throughout the base heard or felt the explosion. Alarms started blaring. A few pilots rushed over to help Hobbie and the other one. Dak Ralter helped Hobbie sit up. Though a little shaken and ragged, Hobbie repeated, "Kal. Where's Kal? We gotta get Kal." He tried to pry himself from Dak's grip as he continued variants of needing Kal, but his fellow Rogue pilot didn't let him make his getaway.

"Hobbie, you need to stay calm," Dak demanded. "You're hurt." Medics rushed into the hangar and began tending to the two rebels caught in the explosion. Other people entered the hangar as well to see what had happened.

"Kal's in there," Hobbie muttered, his head tilting to the side, barely able to keep his eyes open and sharpness shooting up his spine with each movement. "We have-we have to. . ." His voice trailed off when he cried out in pain.

One of the medics looked at the storage room, or what used to be the storage room. Scorch marks, destroyed metal, and semi-melted ice was all the seemed to be left from the outside. Dak, with Hobbie no longer in his care, stood and made his way quickly to the gaping hole and peered inside. A mangled outline of a person was slumped against the opposite wall.

"Oh, no," Dak murmured, which Han and Chewie heard as they came up behind him.

"What happened?" Han asked as he looked inside as well. But Dak didn't get the chance to reply as Chewie howled and hurried inside the destroyed room, recognizing the scent as Kal's. Han followed in closely behind after Chewie's terror-filled howl sunk in. Chewie and Han bent down on both sides of Kal's unconscious, barely breathing, burned, and broken body. "Be careful, Chewie. Moving her too much might hurt her more."

Han heard Chewie's slight whimpering as the Wookiee gently eased his arms under Kal's shoulders and knees and slowly picked her up, carrying her out of the room. They immediately began making their way to the medical center as quickly as possible without jostling the fragile girl.

While a limited few medics, doctors, and medical droids worked on Hobbie and the other injured rebel, a majority focused their attention on the high-risk patient that got set on the metal table in the one makeshift emergency room.

The moment Leia was informed, she joined Han and Chewie outside the room as the doctors worked on their friend inside.

The doctors and droids couldn't just stick her in a bacta tank. Kal had to be stabilized first. They cut off her ruined clothing, at least what wasn't imbedded into her wounds, gave her oxygen, reset her broken collarbone, and began treating the burns on her legs and arms.

Partway through, Luke's patrol ended. The moment he entered the base with Wedge, he sensed something was wrong. The somber looks they received when they entered the base didn't help his uneasiness. Luke and Wedge glanced at each other as they passed off the Tauntaun's to one of the deckhands.

"I don't like this," Wedge said off-handedly, looking pointedly at the rebels around the hangar bay.

"You can say that again," Luke replied. "Come on, we should report to Command." The two walked further into the base, making their way to the Command Center until they passed Dak, who looked worse than the others they had seen. Pale and haggard, walking slow and slumped: it was completely strange for the typically upbeat man. Luke reached out to stop his gunner. "Hey, Dak, what's going on?"

"Everyone's acting like someone died," Wedge added, trying to joke and lift the tension. It didn't work.

For a moment, Dak didn't reply. His eyes and mouth were drooped in worry as he went back and forth between looking at Luke and Wedge. "There was an accident in the main hangar while you two were gone," Dak finally supplied. "Three people were caught in an explosion."

Wedge's eyes hardened and his jaw clenched. "Who?"

"One of the deckhands. . . and Hobbie and Kal."

Both Luke and Wedge tore away from Dak and ran through the halls to the med center as fast as they could, narrowly avoiding crashing into a few people on the way. Han, Chewie, Leia, Threepio, and Artoo looked up at them the moment they rushed in.

"Hobbie is doing good and could probably use some company, but they're still working on Kal," Han told them right away. He knew they wanted nothing more than to see their friends, but only one was stable and in decent working condition, just a little banged up. They had to wait to hear about the other. It was slow going and they didn't like any second of it.

Luke and Wedge both nodded and went to find Hobbie. One of the droids brought them to where Hobbie rested on a bed behind a curtain. Luke closed the curtain behind them and turned to face Hobbie, Wedge already at his best friend's side. "Are you okay?" Wedge asked quietly, looking over Hobbie's bandaged head. "Don't tell me you and Kal were getting frisky in a dark corner and knocked over a grenade." Wedge tried to make his friend laugh or at least smile, but Hobbie didn't react, barely picking his head up.

"Is she okay?" Hobbie asked, voice hoarse and throat sore. "No one's told me anything."

"Han said she's still with the doctors," Luke said with his arms folded over his chest. "Are you okay?" He hoped that by repeating Wedge's initial question, Hobbie might answer it, but the usually talkative blond didn't reply, choosing to stare at the blank privacy curtain instead. Luke took that as a 'no.' "Do you need anything?"

"I need her to be okay," Hobbie snapped. His nostrils and eyes flared as he turned to his commanding officer. "She wasn't even supposed to be in there. For whatever reason, she wanted to help us move supplies." His breathing back to quicken as he shook his head fervently. "I was right next to those blasted detonators, I was the closest one, but she-" His speech was broken by a hiccough and a sob as a few tears ran down his cheeks. "She saved me and him. Used the Force to throw us out of the room before they went off. And now she-" He furiously shook his head again which caused Wedge to lean forward to try and calm his friend, but Hobbie shoved his arms away. "Don't tell me to calm down or relax. Don't try and comfort me, telling me everything is gonna be okay. It won't work! I saw her body when they pulled her out. She looked-"

He leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, occasionally shaking his head as he thought over the event, again and again, not saying anything else. Hobbie didn't need to finish the sentence. Wedge and Luke already knew what he was going to say.

She looked dead.

* * *

A few hours passed. Each person waiting to hear about Kal's condition needed to leave at one point or another because of their jobs, except for Luke. He had finished his other duties for the day before Han, Chewie, and Kal had even arrived, in the hopes that he would spend as much time with them as he could before more rebellion duties filled their plates. Leia and Wedge had to report to Command with Threepio. Chewie needed to work on the _Falcon_. Han, too, but he mostly just couldn't stand waiting around for news and needed to do something: his way of coping.

Luke was left alone with Artoo.

But that also meant he was present when a medical droid left the room to report on the situation. Luke sprung to his feet with a hopeful expression and asked, "Is she alright?"

"Miss Aput has sustained numerous injuries, but she has been stabilized and is currently undergoing a bacta treatment to quicken the healing process," the droid recited with its mechanical voice.

"What are her injuries?" Luke asked, scrunching his hat in his hands.

"Miss Aput has a broken collarbone, multiple third-degree burns on her arms, legs, and torso, and mild fracture on her skull. Once she is out of the bacta tank, she will be given synthskin and bacta patches to finish healing the burns. She will require several days of rest to recover."

Luke sighed and nodded. "Thank you. Can I go in to see her?"

"The patient is still unconscious and in the bacta tank, but yes, you may go in." The droid swept its arm towards the door and Luke hurried over to it and inside.

In one of the bacta rooms, Kal was being watched by a medical droid and an attendant while she was suspended in the bacta tank in only plain undergarments. Luke leaned against the wall on the other side of the glass, watching and worried out of his mind. But at least she was alive and well. She was stable and going to live. The bright red burns, blisters, and charred-white skin that he thought he'd see more of were less severe than Luke had imagined, but he supposed it was because of the doctors and bacta working its magic and beginning the healing process for her wounds.

Luke took a moment to comm Wedge, Leia, and Han to update them each on her condition. He also went and informed Hobbie who immediately relaxed at the news. All they had to do was wait for her to wake up. It was easier for the others to say. Luke could feel her pain through the Force. He couldn't at first, but standing in front of the glass as he silently watched over her, he began to feel her Force signature. It felt like fire burning through him, like the detonators that had seared her skin.

 _Luke_.

Luke just about jumped out of his skin when he heard his name said. Looking around, the young pilot didn't see any person or droid except the ones on the other side of the glass in the bacta room. It hadn't sounded like Ben reaching out through the Force as he had done before. But it was familiar. And almost calming.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Luke spotted a small basket by the bed on the other side of the medical room. He glanced back at Kal in the tank but nothing had changed, so Luke made his way over to the basket and realized it had Kal's belongings in it, or at least the ones that weren't destroyed. On top sat her lightsaber, mildly damaged. There were also two blasters, her necklace, and a bracelet with crystals. Luke could feel the Force around each crystal, so he knew they were the kyber crystals she had mentioned after their trip to Tatooine together.

 _Luke_.

There it was again. But he realized why it sounded familiar when he looked up from Kal's stuff. It was Kal subconsciously reaching out to him through the Force.

"Please wake up soon, Kal," Luke whispered. His sad blue eyes watched her in the bacta. All he could do was sit there and repeat his words in his mind. He needed to see her doing more than looking dead in the water. They all did.

Han and Leia had made Luke rest sometime into the night, knowing that he would likely pass out from exhaustion if he didn't rest as well. His post had been taken up by Han who was replaced by Wedge at dawn.

* * *

Kal didn't wake for several more hours, well into the following morning. By that time, she had been taken out of the bacta tank and given synthskin and bacta patches to complete the healing process out of the tank. Luckily, Luke and Han were there to see her. Waking up in a bright room alone after a taxing experience wasn't something they wanted for her.

The moment they heard her groan, they jumped out of their seats and drew closer to her side with expressions of relief. The men stared down at Kal as her eyes struggled to open, disliking the harsh lighting of the room. She peeked her eyes open, almost hissing at the brightness, and spotted Luke and Han standing extremely close to her. "Can't a woman get a little space? Jeez, I'm not your mother," she mumbled out, trying to put a light spin on the situation while smirking.

"Aaaand she's back," Han said, unamused. Both men leaned away to give her a little wiggle room.

"Of course, I'm back, you blasted scoundrel. It takes a lot more than a couple thermal detonators to kill me." Kal's lips turned up to reveal the slightest bit of her teeth before grimacing as she rolled her neck and shoulders to stretch them, only to find out it was slightly painful.

Luke noticed a small wince from her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't strain yourself. It'll take a while to fully heal."

Han scoffed and rested against the wall next to Kal's bed. "Luke, I've seen her walk on a broken leg. There is nothing in the entire galaxy that will make her take a breather. Not even a pretty face batting their eyes."

"I hope you don't mean you," Kal interrupted. Then she gasped and quickly sat up, to the immediate disapproval of both Han and Luke, but she ignored their expressions and the pain her body was in. "Where's Hobbie? Is he alright? And that other one. I never learned his name. Are they okay? Were they hurt?"

"Hey, sweetheart, it's alright," Han reassured, his voice low and soft as he stood up straight. "They were a little beat up, but they're okay. They were discharged a few hours ago, ready to hunt some Nuna."

A single eyebrow raised as Kal was torn between amusement, annoyance, and appeasement. "That's not exactly hard."

"No, but they are delicious."


	29. Battle of Hoth

3 ABY

For the following days, Kal was unable to leave the med-center. She hated every minute of it. She hated being alone. She hated having nothing to do. She hated the bright sterile room. She liked being useful and busy. She liked not being broken. The only thing that made it even relatively worthwhile was all of her friends visiting her whenever they got the chance and she could practice using the Force without potentially freaking anyone out.

Well, until Luke and Han went missing.

Wedge and Hobbie were the ones who informed her. They told her Luke had gone to check out a meteorite that hit the planet while he was on patrol with Han but never checked back in, so Han went back out to find him. They hadn't come back yet. And the doors were about to be shut.

Kal tried to get out of bed, ignoring the pain coursing through her limbs, but Hobbie and Wedge immediately pushed her back down, albeit gently.

"You're not going out there," Wedge said, not playing around.

"The hell I am!" Kal exclaimed. "Get out of my way."

"You're still healing. You'll just get yourself killed," Hobbie said, invading her personal space to make sure she couldn't get up without going through him. "There's nothing we can do for them right now."

She looked back and forth between them. "Please move."

"No," they chorused together, their faces stoic and bodies unmoving.

"I swear, I will make you two move if you don't do it of your own volition."

Hobbie sighed. "Kal, I know you're in love with the guy, but don't get yourself killed because of your overwhelming need to save him."

Her features pinched and her head tilted to the side. "I don't love Han. What are you blabbering on about?"

Both Hobbie and Wedge groaned in exasperation. They couldn't believe her sometimes. For all intents and purposes, Kal was infinitely more observant than the two of them, they knew, but when it came to her affection for the one and only Luke Skywalker, she remained completely oblivious and in the dark. So much so that she thought they meant Han before she thought they meant Luke. It was ridiculous.

Wedge pinched the bridge of his nose while Hobbie rubbed his face. "Kaleena, whatever your middle name is, Aput, you are the most difficult woman I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know," Wedge complained. "The entire galaxy knows you are in love with Luke and that he is in love with you in return. But regardless of how you two feel, you cannot go out into the frozen wasteland that is Hoth, at night with nothing but some clothes on your back and a Tauntaun that would likely freeze to death before making any real progress. Rogue Group is going out first thing in the morning to search with our scanners, but until then, there is nothing anyone can reasonably do other than hope they are able to find shelter and wait out the night."

Kal slumped down with a huff. "I hate when you're right."

"Ha!" Hobbie blurted out, pointing at her and beaming from ear to ear. "I knew you loved him!"

"What? No, that's not what I-" Kal tried to say but cut herself off as Wedge began smiling as well. "I hate you both." She leaned back on the big fluffy pillow and let out an over-exaggerated sigh. "If only that explosion had killed me."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Wedge said. "Now you just have to tell him."

"I'm not-oh, forget it."

* * *

The two men refused to leave her side until the following morning when they had to go search for their missing rebel friends. Kal was relieved to have people finally going out and searching for Luke and Han, but she wished it was her going out to look. But no, she had to stay in her med-center room and get a fresh set of synthskin and patches on her burns that were looking a lot better than they had been in days previous.

During the session of the medical droid changing out the synthskin and bacta patches, Wedge walked in. Kal looked up at him. "It better be good news."

Wedge grinned. "We found them. Luke's a little worse for wear, but he's in a tank right now. You can probably see him once he's out, which should be pretty soon. Han is completely fine."

Kal sighed in relief at the news. "That's good. I'm glad they were found before anything irreversible could happen." She turned to the medical droid who was laying down a new bacta patch on her leg. "When can I start walking around?"

"When I am done switching out the coverings, you may walk around the medical center with aid," the droid replied.

Kal looked back up at Wedge with a sly grin. "You hear that, Antilles? I'm almost a free woman."

"It specifically said 'around the medical center'," Wedge pointed out. "Not free just yet, hunter." She playfully stuck out her tongue which made him laugh.

The droid continued changing the various patches covering her legs, arms, and torso. Some of the patches were completely taken off as the skin was almost completely healed in some areas. Kal hadn't stood up in days. Her ass was hurting and her limbs were sore from lack of movement. She needed to get up. She needed to put on something other than temporary clothing.

And she needed to see Luke. The thought of him hurt was killing her, eating her from the inside out. If she hadn't been injured, she could've done something. Maybe she could've found him sooner by reaching out through the Force to feel him out. It would've worked far better than the measly scanners the patrol units use. She should've been with him the moment he was found, not stuck with bed rest. She should have been doing anything, literally anything. As long as she was with him.

The moment the droid was done, Wedge helped Kal off the bed, steadying her as her legs wobbled beneath her. "Easy there, hunter," Wedge muttered as Kal leaned heavily on him. "It might take a little bit to get your land legs again."

"Can't wait," Kal replied, deadpan. She lifted her left leg slowly, bringing it as high as she could to stretch out her hamstring and then did the other leg. She hated feeling weak but stretching them felt nice. Kal allowed the Force to imbue her with strength or to at least lessen the shakiness. She rolled her ankles gently and tested her weight while letting go of Wedge. "I-I think I'm good." At least until she could no longer sustain using the Force to keep her upright.

"You sure?" Kal raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed. "Please don't say it's the Force."

Kal shrugged. "Then I won't say it. I'm gonna go see Luke."

"Yeah, you do that. Give him a nice, big, 'get well soon' kiss."

Kal rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth while she left the room, choosing to ignore him rather than indulge him. She had someone to go see. Half her focus was on finding Luke's room while the other half was set on using the Force to keep her upright and moving, giving her the energy and strength to find who she needed to see.

As she turned a corner, a smaller body walked into her. Kal steadied herself and recognized Leia but didn't get to say anything because Leia harshly apologized before continuing to stalk down the hall and out of the medical center. Kal scrunched up her eyebrows, confused at the shorter woman's actions but shook it off and continued down to Luke's room a short distance away.

The door slid open and Kal walked in, spotted Han, Chewie, and the droids surrounding Luke, and asked, "Han, what did you say to Leia this time? She looked pissed just a second ago." Kal gestured with her thumb, pointing at the door which slid shut behind her. Luke's smug expression shifted to guilt while Han's anger and annoyance turned into the smugness Luke had lost. Luke's hands dropped from behind his head to his sides, looking at Kal as the intercom called headquarters personnel to the Command Center.

Han turned back to Luke and said, "Take it easy."

"Excuse us, please," Threepio added. Han, Chewie, and C-3PO hurried out of the room, each nodding at the mildly confused Kal when they passed her. Artoo whistled a 'good-bye' but didn't follow.

The door slid shut once again and Kal looked at Luke with an eyebrow raised. "What was that about?" she asked, inching closer to the former farmboy who laid on the bed. He wasn't allowed the chance to reply once she spotted the scars on the right side of his face. Reaching out and rushing closer, he blushed as her hand turned his head so she could see his injuries. "Oh, what happened?" Her index finger lightly brushed over the lower scar right below his cheekbone or what was left of it, at least. "I'm assuming the bacta's worked pretty well."

Luke gave her a shy, awkward smile. "Yeah, it was worse. A wampa knocked me from my Tauntaun and dragged us to its cave." Through the Force, she could sense his former pain and his current discomfort, embarrassment, and guilt.

Frowning, Kal sat down by his knees and moved her hand from his face to his hand. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

While Luke's face and words said one thing, the Force said another. Kal didn't believe him. But she didn't call him out on it. Everything was alright to him, but not in the way she meant. "Well, you were kind of stranded outside in a frozen wasteland. I'm definitely going to ask if you're doing alright." Her smile was small, tentative. "I wanted to go out and look, too, but Hobbie and Wedge wouldn't let me."

"And with good reason." Luke didn't look amused. "You're not cleared to leave the med-center just yet."

"You just couldn't help but get stuck in here with me, huh?" she teased playfully.

"I would gladly be stuck with you anywhere." The red dancing across her cheeks was a new sight to behold. It was the first time he had ever seen her blush. His heart skipped a beat knowing she was blushing because of something he said. And she hadn't lost her smile. Leia had just kissed him in front of Han, but Luke didn't feel anything but smugness because of the irritation Han had felt. Kal, on the other hand, could make him feel giddy and breathless with nothing but a smile or a few words. He didn't understand how she could have such an effect on him.

She would be lying if she said she didn't like hearing it. _I would gladly be stuck with you anywhere_. She would also be lying if she said Wedge and Hobbie's teasing had no ring of truth. Kal kind of wished she had Sabine or Hera to talk to. Talking to Leia about feelings didn't necessarily seem right. And there was absolutely no way she would willingly talk to Wedge, Han, or Hobbie about it.

"Do you know when you'll be out of here?" she asked. "Not that it isn't nice to have company. I'm just sure they'll have plenty of need for their Commander Skywalker." She wanted to say ' _my_ Commander Skywalker.'

Luke chuckled and ducked his head briefly. "Probably tomorrow. They'll likely keep me here overnight for observation. But I hear you'll probably be discharged tomorrow, too."

"I sure as hell hope so." Kal hummed to herself. "Do you still have the crystal I gave you?"

"Yeah, why? I can give it back if you want it," Luke said quickly.

Kal shook her head and waved her hand. "No, no, no. I was just making sure you didn't lose it in a random wampa cave on a shitty ice planet. Kyber crystals are hard to find these days, so I wanted to know if I needed to go digging around in some snow for it." Her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Keep it. I have a feeling you'll need it someday."

"That doesn't sound at all ominous." Kal chuckled at his sarcasm. "But, um, anyway, there's something I need to tell you." It wasn't often that Kal grew worried, but Luke's wording didn't exactly bring joy to her heart. "When I was out in the snow before Han found me, I think Ben was trying to commune with me. I was pretty out of it, but I think he said something about Dagobah and a Jedi Master named Yoda. I think he wanted me to find him."

"Really? That's where Master Yoda is?" Kal asked. "My dad always made Dagobah sound important because the high Force attunement of the planet, not because Master Yoda was there." _Of course, he didn't tell me that_ , she thought cynically.

Luke decided to quickly carry on with the subject so she couldn't dwell on what he knew she was thinking. "What do you know about him?"

"Not much. He's an extremely powerful and old Jedi Master who was responsible for training all of the younglings in their early years after he stopped taking padawans. And I know he sat on the Jedi Council as both Grand Master and Master of the Order by the Clone War started. But that's about it. My dad didn't really like to talk about other Jedi. Can't say I blame him. But if he wants you to find Master Yoda, then he wants you to train with him, and not with me." She hadn't meant it with contempt or discontent, but Luke must've thought she had.

"What? That's not-"

"Then what is it, Luke?" Kal interrupted. "He talks to you. He tells you where Master Yoda is hiding. He let me leave home without much of a fight. He stayed on Tatooine to watch over you. I'm a lost cause. I left Jedi training. I'm not the hope of the galaxy. You are. I'm okay with that. I came to terms with that a while ago. My destiny lies elsewhere. I just don't know what it is yet. I hope it includes you, though."

* * *

After a short period of talking, the evacuation code was sent out. Kal and Luke's blood ran cold. "They found us," she said dismally.

"Sounds like it," he replied, watching as Kal stood from her spot next to his knees. Luke then swung his legs over the side and sat up.

"I'm an able body, so I better go help as much as I can."

Luke reached out to grab her arm to stop her before she could leave. "Be careful." Whether he was her commanding officer or not, it was an order. He didn't want to see her hurt again. Kal looked into his pleading eyes, eyes she could get lost in forever like an endless blue sea. She wanted to get lost in them. Her heart was asking her to but her mind said no.

There would be a battle, she knew. She could feel it in the air. She could sense it through the Force. No one ever knew what battle would be their last. It wasn't something you could know for certain, even with Force visions. The future was always changing. Anyone could die at any moment if the right means were in play. And Hoth was about to become a battlefield. With the prospect of a battle and her aching heart, Kal did the unthinkable.

Turning around fully, Kal grabbed Luke's shirt with her fist and slammed her lips against his. It barely lasted a few seconds. Kal practically ran from the room once she pulled away.

She kissed him. She got it off her chest. But she was scared to see his reaction. What had she done? Why did she do that? What was she thinking? Was she even thinking at all? She kissed one of her closest friends. Sure, someone she had come to terms with having actual feelings for, but she kissed him. She actually kissed him. They were about to be caught in a battle and Kal had decided, for whatever reason, to plant one on him.

She hurried back to her room and got dressed, shaking her head every few moments to rid her head of her distracting thoughts and pulling on the armor for her arm and shoulder before slipping on the warm, heavy coat to combat both potential enemies and the cold. Her necklace sat securely on her chest under her clothes, her lightsaber hung from her belt, and her droid clutching her shoulder. Then the medical droid gave her the all-clear to help load transports, albeit with the order of only lifting the lighter loads.

Before long, the Empire was on their doorstep. Kal cheered with the rest of the rebels when the first transport made it off the planet. She bode Wedge and Hobbie 'good luck' before they headed out to fight the Empire in their snow speeders.

Kal made her way to the _Falcon_ to see how Han and Chewie were doing with repairs and ran into, quite literally, the one person she had been scared to see. Catching his helmet before it could fall to the ground, Kal held it awkwardly in her hand, outstretched to him and not making eye contact no matter how much she wanted to gaze into his pretty eyes. She was so focused on her thoughts, she didn't notice the hand resting over her own, not quite taking the helmet.

"Kal, please look at me," Luke's gentle voice said. She could feel his soothing presence close to her and she loved it. Her eyes flitted up, peaking out from underneath her eyelashes. A brief feeling of fear coursed through her, but it drifted away with his words. "I'm one person you don't have to run away from." He reached out and took her other hand in his. "Please tell me it wasn't a 'one of us is about to die' kiss?"

"It wasn't, well, sort of. I. . . I wanted to. For a while now."

Luke didn't know what shocked him more: Kal telling him she wanted to kiss him regardless of the upcoming battle or the kiss itself. Maybe both. He liked it either way. His stomach was twisted in knots, he felt like he was going to puke, and his heart raced a mile a minute.

He then realized all the hustle and bustle around them was still happening. He had to get to his speeder. They didn't have time to talk. "We need to talk, but like not right now." Kal was about to agree but Luke continued. "Can I kiss you?"

Nodding and smiling, Kal welcomed him leaning forward and planting his lips on her own. It was short and sweet, both attempting to squeeze in everything they wanted to say in a single kiss. Once they pulled away, Kal's hands tightened around his as she said, "For good luck. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you." Luke then scurried off, rushing to his speeder to meet up with his gunner, Dak, and take on the Empire to buy as much time as possible for the rebels to evacuate the base.

The pilots in their snow speeders took off to meet the Empire's ground forces with the troops in the trenches while other personnel remained inside to continue loading transports, get on them, and fly away. Kal rushed from place to place, helping haul as much equipment as she could onto transports and evacuating certain areas of the base. Han commed her to tell her to return to the _Falcon_ so they could prepare for take-off if she hadn't left the base yet, but she went the long way once she heard the Command Center had been hit with one transport left to leave the system.

As Kal made her way through one of the tunnels, ignoring the distant thunder of laser fire, a voice rang through the loudspeaker saying, "Imperial troops have entered the base. Imperial troops have-" The voice was cut off and followed by the evacuation code signal. Kal knew he must have been killed by an Imp.

The tunnel then collapsed in front of her and she slid to a stop. She cursed as she turned back around to head towards the hangar with the _Falcon_ in it. Kal ran through the tunnels, thankfully not seeing any other people. It meant they had made it out. Now all she had to do was make it to the _Falcon_ , assuming Han hadn't left yet. But she knew he would leave without her if he had to. Only if he absolutely had to. It was what she would want. She hadn't replied to his comm, and she had clearance to leave on one of the other transports. He would likely assume she had made it out on one since comms, past a certain distance, wouldn't work.

Kal skidded to a halt in the middle of the tunnel closest to the main hangar. The feelings of death, despair, agony, and anger filled the Force around her, practically suffocating her senses. She had felt it before. She recognized the Force signature.

Vader.

Turning her head to Gray, she said, "Stay back and hidden. I don't want you to get hurt." The droid floated away, staying a decent distance away from his owner. Her hand drifted to her lightsaber as she turned the corner to see a group of snowtroopers marching down the hall with Darth Vader in the center.

Darth Vader: Luke's father.

Raising her left hand, Kal sent a large gust of the Force down the hall, it slamming into the troopers and careening them violently backward, but it didn't affect Vader. She didn't think it would, only hoped. Plucking her saber from her belt, she turned it on and got in the opening stance of Vaapad, relishing in the sound of the powered blade. It was potentially the last time she'd hear it as she faced the foreboding Sith Lord in front of her.

Vader followed with his own blood-red blade, holding it down by his side. His stance was more relaxed than she would have liked. "You are not the Jedi I'm looking for," Vader announced, his deep voice clouded with mechanics and loud breathing. How much of him was even still a man?

But he was searching for Luke. That was more important. And there was no way Kal would help Vader. "You won't find him here, Vader," she replied, trying her hardest not to let her voice shake. "Just me." The inkling of fear threatened to take hold of her, but her anger won out. The machine in front of her killed her father and wanted to turn someone she cared about to the Dark Side, if not kill him as well. "He'll be long gone, and you'll continue chasing your tail until the Emperor tells you to stop."

The black mass allowed for the slightest tilt of his head as he studied the young woman. "You care about him. And he cares for you in return." Kal couldn't figure out how he could possibly know that or why it mattered. "Good. Your death will be his first step to joining the Dark Side of the Force."

Kal's lips turned into a snarl. "Luke will never join you, even if you are his father. You already took my father. You won't take Luke, too." Surging forward, Kal swung her lightsaber but Vader blocked it with his own. The power behind his swing shocked her as her saber bounced away, but she swung again. Again and again and again. Each time Vader blocked, parried, or deflected. He didn't attack.

He was toying with her. And she played right into it. He was drawing out her anger and hatred to the point where she no longer controlled them but they controlled her.

Lifting his hand, Vader locked her in place with the Force while Kal was mid-swing. She struggled in place but couldn't move. No matter how often she had sparred with Luke, Kanan, Ahsoka, Ezra, or her dad, Vader was a whole other level. More powerful than any of them had ever shown in sparring sessions. It scared her. She was trapped.

Her body slowly lifted from the frozen ground, helplessly dangling from Vader's Force power. "You are strong with the Force, young one," Vader praised. "And. . . familiar. Why are you familiar?" He wasn't asking her. He was talking to himself. Vader sheathed his lightsaber and hung from his side again before willing her body forward, grabbing her throat with his hand. Her saber fell from her grasp once no longer frozen, powering off as it left her hand. Kal's legs kicked and her hands scratched at his hand, all while he studied her. The woman hanging from his grip looked just as familiar as her Force signature felt. The last time he felt it was on the Death Star. But he had felt it before, in his own arms on Coruscant when he was Anakin Skywalker. "Cattleya."

She barely heard the name of her mother from his mask. His robotic fingers tightened around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Kal tried to kick him and peel his fingers away but nothing worked, dark spots dancing in her eyes. Her eyes drifted to a close and Vader threw her limp body down the hall, ready to leave the forsaken and destroyed rebel base in nothing but ruins and the child of Anakin Skywalker's old friend to freeze in the snow. She was a reminder of his past, of the man he had been, the man he had destroyed.

Anakin had known the baby was Force-sensitive the first time he had seen her. Padmé had been holding baby Kaleena when he stopped by the apartment. Cattleya had, of course, known about their relationship and was supportive. Padmé loved Cattleya's daughter like her own the moment she had died. The senator had gladly taken her in. But Anakin, or rather Vader, had wondered what happened to the baby when Padmé died as well.

But he had just figured it out. She had been taken and trained. By who was the question. Vader had an inkling though. Kenobi. The young woman had said he killed her father. Cattleya had only ever been openly close with one man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Anakin Skywalker wasn't the only Jedi to fall in love.

Their children had found each other.

Darth Vader left the planet with what was left of his troopers. A good number had been killed or knocked out by the young woman's Force blast, let alone by falling debris or other rebels. They lost Luke Skywalker. They lost the _Millennium Falcon_. They lost most of the rebel forces. But they still damaged the rebellion.

Tunnels caved in, trapping an unconscious Kal in the rubble of the base.


	30. Frozen

3 ABY

The Force cocooned itself around the young woman lying on the cold, hard floor of the destroyed rebel base, protecting her from frostbite and falling ice. For over an hour, Kaleena laid there against the ice, unconscious and barely able to breathe with Gray by her side.

When she came to, she struggled to take in a whole breath. Her head hurt, her trachea was bruised, and she could barely move. Kal could hardly keep her eyes open. Her entire body ached with every slight movement she made. Lifting her head and arms hurt just as bad as when the explosion had wrecked her body. The tunnel around her was dark, but small streams of light filtered through the cracks in the tunnel ceiling. The tiny bit of light hurt her eyes.

Picking her head up only lasted a second before she set it back down on the ice. The ice numbed her cheek, chest, and legs, but she still felt the pain.

How could she be so stupid? Why did she decide to face Vader? Why didn't she head down a different tunnel instead? Why did she egg him on? How could she let herself reveal her feelings so easily? What happened to her self-preservation instincts? She had been trained better, so why did any of that even happen?

She knew why. She had spent so long running away from everything. She ran from her father and the fate of the Jedi. She ran from her mentor and the fate of bounty hunting. She ran from the _Ghost_ crew and the fate of the rebellion. She ran from her feelings and the fate of falling in love. But the Force had brought her back to each fate. She was training Luke to be a Jedi. She joined the rebellion against the Empire. She fell in love with Luke Skywalker. And now, with her rebel friends far away from her and Hoth, she had to call Boba Fett.

He was the only one she could possibly call. But would he even come to her rescue? The last time she had seen him, she threw him through a wall. She had to try though. Either send him a distress signal or freeze to death on Hoth. She had to get to the Command Center.

"Gray," she croaked out, her throat burning and swollen. The droid perked up from his spot next to her. "Help me to the Command Center." The droid whistled, but Kal couldn't look at her wrist to check his translation. She could tell he wasn't particularly happy, however. Gray charted the best course through the base using his scanners. Kal hauled herself to her hands and knees, using the Force to help her cope with the pain and anguish she was putting her body through by moving. Gray started down the hall.

Before Kal followed, she spotted her lightsaber where she had dropped it during her confrontation with Vader. He hadn't taken it. Calling it to her, Kal attached it to her belt and limped after Gray as quickly as she could, following the little, floating droid through the tunnels, around chunks of fallen ice, and over the rubble. Outside of the Command Center, Kal and Gray encountered a caved-in area.

"Blast," Kal whispered, clenching her fists. "Gray, come here. Keep me steady." Gray sidled up to her side so she could place her hand on him to help keep her upright while her focus was diverted to moving the large pieces of ice out of the way.

Sweat dripped down her forehead and neck at the exertion while she also shivered from the cold. The ice hit the ground hard, out of the way, and Kal panted like she had run a marathon. Gray's beeps were filled with concern. "I'm okay, buddy. Thank you. Let's hurry. I don't know how much longer I can stay upright."

Kal and Gray continued down the hall together until they reached the Command Center door. With the mechanics damaged, Kal had to make it open with the Force. Kal shuffled inside with Gray by her side, limping over to the closest console that she could use as the door slid to a close.

"Plug in," Kal ordered. Gray flew over to the console plug, extended his arm, and powered it up. "Send a distress signal to Boba. Only Boba. Make sure it's encoded. I don't want Vader and the Empire knowing I'm here."

She let Gray work his magic as she slumped to the cold floor, resting her back against the console. As she sat there looking around, she realized just how much of a mess the Command Center was. It was a wonder anything was still working. Wires hung from the ceiling. A few consoles had been smashed. Tables were overturned. The Empire had destroyed it like they had the rest of the base.

Rubbing her throat, she winced. It had already bruised. She could feel Vader's grip around it still, squeezing slowly to draw out the torment. Kal couldn't remember being thrown, but considering the state of her body, she knew she had been. The pulsing in her head threatened to drown out her thoughts until she was consumed in darkness, her head hanging limply to the side.

Gray tried to wake his owner, prodding her with his arms, but she didn't budge. He beeped sadly and floated down to her legs, setting down on her thigh. The message had been sent. Whether or not the seasoned bounty hunter would respond was the question.

* * *

A few hours passed with Kal unconscious. One of the tunnels nearby rumbled, rousing the small droid. He stood on her thigh, his large eye pointed at the Command Center door. His sensors picked up one life form just outside. Gray brandished his electro-prod. Sparks flew from the edge of the door, going up the side and around it until the door fell to the ground with a loud _clang_. The figure on the other side was menacing but familiar. Gray recognized the armor of Boba Fett instantly and put his electro-prod away.

"Hey, buddy," Boba greeted the droid as he hurried to Kal's side. "Come on, let's get to my ship." The elder bounty hunter slid his arms under Kal's knees and behind her shoulders, lifting the young woman into his arms. He brought her up and out of the destroyed tunnels with Gray flying close behind, worried about the woman who had built him.

Boba laid her down on her old bed in her old room on his ship then left her side to get his ship into the air and moving on. He had gotten her call on his way to a job. A big one. With the ship in hyperspace, he began attending to Kal, but he only had basic first aid equipment.

Standing above her, his eyes were downturned as he looked at her. Boba wondered what had happened to her but didn't dwell on it for too long, focusing on applying bacta patches and using kolto spray to at least speed up the process. The bruising around her neck didn't look good, but there was only so much he could do without actual medical equipment. Boba was better with wounds that he could patch up rather than internal damage.

Before long, Boba decided to sit and rest by her side. His ship sailed through hyperspace. Kal laid unconscious and as patched up as she could be. There was nothing else he could do, except one thing.

Gray flitted closeby, never having left Kal's side. "Gray, come here," Boba ordered. The droid turned around to face him and hesitantly flew over. Boba sighed at the droid's trepidation. "I know Kal and I haven't exactly been close as of late, but I won't let anything happen to her under my watch. I promise." Gray's happy beeps filled the air. "Can you show me what happened?"

For a moment, Boba wasn't sure if the droid would fulfill his request; nevertheless, Gray complied. The holographic image spilled from Gray's eye as Boba looked on, watching the recording.

In the video, Kal used the Force the send the Imperial troopers surrounding Darth Vader down the tunnel before she ignited her lightsaber. Boba leaned forward. "Kaleena, how could you be so stupid?" he asked himself. It was a stupid move, taking on Vader. Brave yet stupid. But he didn't expect anything less from her. She had a heart. She couldn't sit by and watch bad things happen. She must have held his attention while rebels evacuated the base.

Vader's voice echoed through the recording. "You care about him. And he cares for you in return. Good. Your death will be his first step to joining the Dark Side of the Force." He was talking about the rebel who had blown up the Death Star. Skywalker. The boy she had been with on Tatooine. The one with a lightsaber.

Kal obviously hadn't liked what he said. "Luke will never join you, even if you are his father. You already took my father from me. You won't take Luke, too." No matter how often Boba had tried to instill in her that attachment wasn't good for a bounty hunter, she had done it anyway, even if she tended to hide it well. Boba hadn't realized how much she had cared for him until Kal had told him she would have laid her life down for him at one point. He hadn't deserved her affection. At all.

And Boba sat there watching her protect her friend from someone as menacing as Vader, someone who was apparently his father. How Kal knew that Boba didn't know.

Boba's movements stilled as Vader grabbed her by the throat as Boba had once done to her as well. "You are strong with the Force, young one," Vader said. "And. . . familiar. Why are you familiar?" Vader took a long pause. "Cattleya." Kal's eyes widened at the name before she struggled harder and was thrown down the hall. Vader then left and Gray cut off the recording.

Leaning back in his chair, Boba thought over what Kal had gone through. She had faced Vader and survived. But that also meant he knew her face and probably believed her to be dead. Boba couldn't let Vader know otherwise. He still had to meet Vader for a job, but there was no way Boba would let Kal off the _Slave 1_ until they were far away from the Vader.

* * *

Kal had a hard time opening her eyes the second time she woke up. But something was different compared to the previous time. She wasn't on a cold, hard surface. Her body rested on something soft and comfortable. She could barely move, though, so she couldn't figure it out.

Her entire body was stiff. Her throat burned. Her head throbbed. Her back ached.

When she finally slid her eyes open fully, she recognized her surroundings. The room hadn't changed a bit in the years she had been gone. Moving her head to the side was a chore, but she spotted Gray resting on the bedside table. He stood on his legs the moment he noticed her movement and beeped excitedly.

"Hey," she choked. While she felt better than she had before, it didn't mean she felt good. "Wh-where's Boba?" She struggled to raise her wrist to see the translation of Gray's answer. _Boba Fett = not onboard, on Imperial starship_. What was Boba doing on an Imperial starship? Kal didn't think she'd like the answer. "When he comes back, bring him to me." Gray whistled an affirmation and left the room, the door hatch sliding closed behind him.

She was left to think about everything that had happened. Kal slumped back on the bed, her body straightened out and looking up at the ceiling. The ache and pain went to the bone. Allowing her eyes to close again, she used the Force to help ease her agony. While it did help, she wondered if Luke could feel it through the Force. He was gaining exceptional skill in the Force ever since he was able to unlock it. There had been times he could sense something was wrong before she did. He was far more attuned to living organisms through the Force than she had ever been. It suited him. And to think, she used to seriously dislike him and his naivety. What she would give to be with them all.

A short time passed before the door slid open to reveal Boba and Gray. Kal tried to sit up and speak, but Boba handed her a small bag of ice, rested a hand on her shoulder, and said, "Don't talk. Let your body heal." Slipping off his helmet, he set it on the table next to the bed and sat in the chair close to it. He looked older than he had the last time she had seen his face. There were bags under his dark eyes. "Gray showed me the holorecording of your fight with Vader. And he probably told you I was on a star destroyer." Kal nodded as she shifted the ice on her throat to help with the swelling. "Vader's hired me and a few other hunters for a job." Kal raised an eyebrow, silently asking about the job. "He wants us to find the _Millennium Falcon_." Kal tried to sit up again, panic coursing through her. "Don't. You knew it was gonna happen at some point. Jabba wants Solo. I think Vader wants Organa and Skywalker. It's a good job."

Rolling her eyes, Kal laid back down. She knew he was right. It didn't mean she liked it. "Luke's not on the _Falcon_ ," she blurted out, her voice still coarse and rough.

"But you know exactly where he is, don't you?" Boba asked, leaning forward onto his knees.

"I'd rather face Vader again than tell you Luke's location."

Boba shook his head and smirked. "I didn't ask for it. Your response is everything I need to know. Regardless, I'm taking the job. We're in an asteroid field right now following the _Falcon_ , but Solo is crafty, so once he gets away, I'm following. When I catch them, I will hand them over to the Empire."

Kal's eyes narrowed at his specific use of 'them.' "Them? Not me?"

Boba stood with a sigh. "No matter our differences, I would never hand you over to the Empire. But that doesn't mean I'll let you leave." Kal didn't have time to react to his statement as he pulled binders from behind his back, cuffed her right wrist to the bed frame, and snatched her droid out of the air.

"Boba!" she exclaimed, struggling against the restraints, the metal rattling together. She got a good look at what he used to cuff her. "Stun cuffs, really?" She wouldn't be able to use the Force on them.

"The Empire always gets what it wants, one way or another. I'm not going to have you get caught as well." With Gray powered off, Boba opened up the storage container by the door and slipped the droid inside. Then he grabbed his helmet and put it on. "If you'll excuse me, I have a freighter to catch. I'll be back later to check up on you."

Kal yelled after him as Boba left her room, the pain was momentarily forgotten as it was consumed by anger. She yelled until she couldn't muster the energy to continue. She couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. It had been ridiculous to think that calling Boba for help after everything that had happened between them would result in anything less than a disaster. She should've gotten on the _Falcon_ when she had the chance. Then she wouldn't be hurt in more ways than one.

Discarding the bag of ice that Boba had brought her, she decided to welcome the discomfort and stinging instead. It would give her something to focus on. Two debilitating injuries within about a week. _Some Jedi_ , she thought cynically. _Can't even use the Force right_. _Can't even protect my friends_.

Maybe they don't need protection. Boba was right. Han was slick. Leia was smart. Chewie was brave. They didn't need Kal to get them out of trouble. Han probably had a great plan to save their skins.

 _But it won't work_. Kal knew it wouldn't. Something was going to go wrong. Kal wanted to do something about it, but for some reason, she didn't think she should.

 _Sometimes the best course of action is to do nothing_.

It didn't make any sense to her, but something told her it was the right thing to do. As she laid there staring at the ceiling, she wondered what her destiny truly lied with. The rebellion? The bounty hunters? The Jedi? Some weird back and forth? Or perhaps the Force wanted her to do nothing this one time to allow something to happen? She didn't like that thought one bit, but it seemed like the correct one. Something was going to happen, something she wasn't supposed to interfere with.

But that meant her friends had to be captured and turned over to the Empire. Which, in turn, would draw in Luke in an attempt to save them. He would most likely be led into a trap. Vader wanted him, wanted to turn him. Kal knew Luke wouldn't turn to the Dark Side. She knew it deep in her bones, which meant the Force wanted him to face his father. Great Light versus great Dark. But while Luke wouldn't turn to the Dark Side, he wasn't ready to face Vader yet. He didn't even know they were related. Unless that was what the Force wanted him to learn. It would do a number on his psyche but would also be necessary for his development as the Jedi he was born to be, let go of his impulsivity, and master his emotions.

Kal couldn't be there for that, but she could do one thing. She could keep an eye on Han and make sure he stayed safe.

Jangling the cuff on her wrist, Kal sighed as she felt the ship enter hyperspace and made herself sit up, working through the ache. She would listen to Boba, stay with him, for the time being. Not with the damn cuffs on though. Reaching out with the Force, she opened the chest that held Gray and lifted him out of it over to her on the bed. With the small droid in her lap, she switched him on. He came alive with a loud, indignant beep, springing up as though he was angry.

"Wow, okay, calm down," Kal forced out. "Get me out of these cuffs, will you?" Gray let out a series of low beeps that sounded like he was being sarcastic or belligerent, but Kal ignored it and let him crawl over to her wrist and use one of his arms to undo the stun cuffs. She hated stun cuffs and their inability to be opened with the Force. Rubbing her wrist, Kal thanked him. "I need you to do me a favor. You won't like it."

* * *

The ship was still in hyperspace, but they were likely coming up on their destination soon. Where that was, Kal had to find out. Kal crept out of her room, leaning on the wall for support as she made her way to the cockpit.

Inside sat Boba in the pilot seat. He whipped around in the chair at the sound of the cockpit door opening and groaned audibly at the sight of her. "What are you doing up?" Boba asked, not even asking about how she undid the restraints. He messed up by leaving the droid in the room. She must've turned it back on. "You need to lay down and rest."

"I know," Kal grumbled, shuffling over to the copilot's seat and slumped down. "Where are we going?"

"What makes you think I'll tell you?"

She picked up on the slight playfulness in his voice. "Because you know I can just look at the navi-computer to see what system we're going to. Just tell me, Boba."

Boba faced the windshield. "Bespin."

Kal tilted her head and leaned back in the chair. "Why?"

"It was in the direction Solo was flying in." He could hear the silent 'so what?' stemming from her eyes. "And it's run by one of his old associates, Lando Calrissian. Solo is heading there. I have no doubt about it. So we are, too. You are staying on the ship."

"I know."

Boba did a double-take and stared at her like she sprouted a second head. "You know?" he repeated. "And you're not arguing with me about it?"

Chuckling lightly, Kal shook her head as it turned into a cough. "Yeah, it's just as much of a surprise to me, Boba. I've come to the conclusion that it is the best possible route to take. Jabba wants Han alive, not dead, so if I stay with you, I can keep an eye on him."

"How can I trust you to not set him free?"

"You can watch me every second of every day. I'm not going to free Han." She let out an aggressive sigh. "Come on, Boba, you know I'm not stupid enough to do something that rash in Jabba's Palace. If you really do then you're completely barvy. Han was the main reason I was with them. There's nothing keeping me there now." It hurt for her to say. It was a complete lie. There was plenty to keep her with the rebellion, but Han needed someone to watch over him. Luke and Leia could take care of themselves. She'd see them again.

Boba sighed, either unaware of her fib or ignoring it. She had a feeling he was ignoring it, not wanting to fight with her. "All right, you're with me then. But keep your head down and your mouth shut. I won't have you being taken by Jabba as well."

"Of course, Boba."

It wasn't until a few days later where Kal finally came out of hiding, fully rested and healed. She had been wakened by her slumber by sensing the strong presence of Luke Skywalker. He was being led straight into a trap, but she had hope that he would make it out alive. Han was the one who needed a helping hand.

She watched from a hidden alcove as two Imperials led a frozen Han to the cargo hold in Boba's ship. He was frozen in carbonite and ready to be taken to Tatooine. To Jabba's Palace. Boba readied the ship for takeoff and Kal stood in the cargo hold, looking down at her friend in the big slab. His hands were raised and his face twisted in what seemed to be pain. But he was alive, and that's what mattered to her.

Kal could only hope that Luke got her message.

* * *

The small droid floated through the passageways of the _Millennium Falcon_ as it flew through space, fleeing the Empire without its pilot. Gray attached to the ceiling of the main hold, above the golden protocol droid C-3PO and his astromech companion R2-D2. Artoo was putting Threepio's leg back on him while Chewie ran by, lifted a floor grate, and got to work on a part of the ship, the two droids bickering above. If Gray could roll his eye like his owner rolled hers, he would have.

The ship shook as another laser blast hit it. Chewie growled at his name being called by Lando. Telling the Wookiee to hurry wasn't going to help him in any way. Gray watched as Artoo left Threepio to fix the hyperdrive himself, the ship immediately entering hyperspace and escaping the clutches of the Empire.

For a few moments, everything in the ship stood still, almost as though they couldn't believe they had escaped. But when the realization hit, their shoulders relaxed. Leia and Lando helped Luke out of the cockpit to take Luke back to the med bay so he could rest, but as they passed the central hold, Lando noticed something on the ceiling of his old ship that wasn't supposed to be there.

"Recon droid," Lando blurted and drew his blaster, drawing everyone's attention. "It'll track us through hyperspace." Chewie howled at him, recognizing the droid.

"Wait, wait," Luke said, grabbing ahold of Lando's arm before he could shoot it. "That's Kal's droid." Gray dropped from the ceiling and floated over to his owner's friends, eyeing the newcomer who lowered his blaster.

"What's it doing here?" Leia asked no one in particular.

Gray whistled and beeped. Threepio stood to the side, still holding his other leg, and translated, "He says he has a message for you, Master Luke, but only you. He says he won't permit anyone else to hear it."

"That doesn't sound promising," Lando muttered. "It must be from your friend. Han said Kal didn't make it off Hoth on the _Falcon_ , so how did she and how did she get her droid here?"

The question sunk in, the group glancing at each other. "I'll find out," Luke said. "Come on, Gray." Luke left Leia's side with Gray, shuffling down the hall to the infirmary on his own. Once inside, he sat down on the bed and looked at the droid floating in front of him. He remembered putting the small droid back together shortly after Ben died. Sighing, he nodded at the droid. "Okay, what's the message?"

Gray beeped sadly and displayed the message, the blue holographic image of a roughed-up Kal shining bright in the dim lighting. She didn't look good. Even in the recording, Luke could see the bruising and swelling around her throat, the dark bags under her eyes, and her strangled breaths. It filled him with despair to see her in such a state so shortly after seeing her torched body not too long before. Luke had a feeling it had been worse and that the recording was of her after some treatment and healing.

Kal's hoarse voice echoed through the small room as she spoke. "Luke, I don't know if you'll get this message, but I wanted you to know something that I couldn't tell you in person." She took a long pause, her head ducking down before looking back up. "I love you. I love you with all my heart. I couldn't tell you in person because. . . because there are things I've been keeping from you. Things I couldn't bear to tell you for fear that you'd lose the light in your eyes. Things about your parents." Luke couldn't believe her words. A small smile broke across her face. "You've always been so hopeful. I never wanted to ruin it. I yearn for the day that you can forgive me. When you get this message, I'll be long gone with Boba again. It was either join him under Jabba the Hutt's patronage once again or something potentially far worse if Vader had gotten ahold of me. At least this way I'll be able to keep an eye on Han. . . do something right for once. I hope to see you again soon if you'll have me. May the Force be with you, always." The recording shut off.

Had she known about who his father truly was? What his father had become? The subject of their fathers had always been a tense one, but Luke would've hoped that news as big as Darth Vader being Anakin Skywalker would've been something she'd tell him. Unless her father asked her not to. She had done a lot against her father, but perhaps it was something she had seen eye to eye with Ben on in an effort to protect him. All she had ever done was in an effort to train him or keep him safe.

Unlike what she had said in her message, she had always tried to do the right thing, tried to protect people. Luke hated that she couldn't see it, but he still loved everything about her. He wished she could've been right there with him. But she was with Fett again. And at Jabba's Palace. They had to get her out, too. Now, they just had to find it.


	31. The Rising Sun

4 ABY

The months passed slowly. Kal had been relegated to smaller bounties and guard duty. She hated every second of it. She wanted nothing more than to be with the rebellion, planning, fighting. But at least she had Han. On the loneliest of nights, she would sit in the corner and watch the slab of carbonite. She could feel Boba's worried gaze, but he said nothing as she kept her watchful gaze on the smuggler. But there were times where even watching Han did not bring her any solace. It was one of those nights.

Kal dressed in one of the small quarters in Jabba's Palace, zipping up her long-sleeved, knee-length, high-collar, yellow-brown coat which allowed her to blend in with the sand dunes and synstone architecture covering Tatooine and barely hid her tattoo and necklace. Long taken was her desire to hide in the shadows, covered in black. Sand beige pants and shirt underneath kept her cool in the warm temperatures of the desert. All that remained of her life in the rebellion was her blaster. It was the best one she had ever had: the longest lasting and easily concealed.

She had been born anew, like the dawn of a new day.

Occasionally, when not working, Kal would find her way to Mos Taike or Mos Eisley for a drink. Or two or three. Usually, she went to Mos Eisley because it had better cantinas, but Mos Taike was smaller and roughly the same distance from Jabba's Palace as Mos Eisley was which she liked if she wanted to avoid crowds. That day she didn't feel like going to the small town. She needed a good stiff drink to take her mind off the haziness and horrid stench of Jabba's Palace.

Taking one last look at her frozen friend, Kal left the palace as the moons reached their peaks, taking her speeder and driving to Mos Eisley, the comforting weight of her lightsaber hiding under her long coat. After parking her speeder, she walked inside Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina and took a sharp turn towards the bar, slumping down on one of the stools. Ackmena, the female bartender who worked nights at the cantina, smiled at Kal sitting down and hurried over.

"Hello, sweetheart," Ackmena greeted. Her long grey hair was pulled and tied to the side, hanging over her right shoulder. Her kind smile never failed to lift the spirits of any of her patrons. "You look like you could use some Jawa Juice. Can I get you a cup?"

Kal grimaced and ran a hand through her hair. "Maybe something stronger tonight, Ack," Kal requested. "Just don't let Kabe or Muftak pickpocket me; otherwise, they'll have a lot more trouble on their hands than Chalmun demanding rent."

The older lady chuckled. "You've got it, sweetheart. How's an Andoan White sound?"

"Or a Breath of Heaven?"

"Oofta," Ackmena muttered, reaching behind her to grab a tall bottle from the bottom shelf and a short glass, setting both down in front of Kal. "That bad of a day, huh?" Ackmena uncorked the bottle and poured until a third of the glass was full.

Kal nodded and picked up the glass, holding it to her lips. "Long." She took a large sip of the drink, enjoying the burning feeling of it sliding down her throat. "You can just leave the bottle. How's your wife doing? I never see her around here."

Ackmena snorted and wiped down the counter around Kal with a rag. "You think I want Sorschi hanging around the likes of these?" She looked pointedly at the other patrons in the bar. Smugglers, bounty hunters, pirates, and pilots.

"You've got a point." Kal took another sip. "You better talk to them before they start accusing you of favoritism."

"Oh, sweetheart, you are my favorite." Ackmena slyly winked at Kal but left anyway, tending to the other patrons coming up to the bar.

Kal watched the bartender walk away before turning back to the drink in her hand. Something nudged the back of her mind, something familiar. Something she hadn't felt in almost four months. Kal's grip tightened on her glass while her other hand grabbed the bottle. Turning around, her eyes narrowed on what she felt through the Force.

Luke.

She could feel his gaze on her from his spot in the back corner of the cantina. His hooded figure clouded his face and body from her, but Kal knew it was him. Something was different about him, but it was still Luke. He was still the farmboy who grew up on Tatooine. He was still the boy she trained in the ways of the Force and lightsaber combat. He was still the man her heart called for.

But what was he doing back on the desert planet all alone?

Slithering her way through the crowded bar, Kal headed towards her old friend, wary but happy to see him alive and well. Slipping into the booth across from him, she set the bottle of alcohol on the table. "Want a drink?" she asked, raising her glass. "It's the strong, expensive stuff. Only the best for the Hero of the Rebellion."

With a simple phrase, she forced him back into the mindset of a blushing boy who had just left Tatooine. Her simple, half-cocked smirk, urged him to lower his hood. Luke raised his hands and pulled down the black hood, no longer concealing his face from her and the other customers.

They both had aged in the time spent apart. His hair was darker and straighter, his face longer and wiser. His blue eyes didn't shine as bright as they used to. The dark cloak didn't suit him. Kal, on the other hand, donned lighter clothes. She looked more lively, more care-free. Her eyes burned with a fiery passion that he hadn't seen before. That was how he knew she was stir-crazy and itching for a fight.

Leaning back in the seat, Kal put her feet up on the table, knowing full-well that Ackmena might scold her later for it, and took another sip of her drink. "So, have you come up with a plan to free Han of the carbonite, or what?"

Tilting his head, Luke realized there had been more to her message that she had sent all those months before, something he had definitely missed in his pain. "You knew we were going to come for him, so you made sure you'd be in already."

She didn't like what he seemed to be implying. "Did you really think I wanted to work for Jabba again? And leave the rebellion? Leave you. . . Leia, Chewie, Wedge, and Hobbie? Even if forced to, I wouldn't have gone quietly." She ducked her head with a sigh, grabbed the bottle, and poured herself another glass, not noticing the corners of Luke's mouth dipping down in sadness. "I didn't want to, not at first, but I was badly hurt and would've frozen to death on Hoth if Boba hadn't saved me. I took advantage of the situation and decided to stay with Han." Glancing around the cantina, Kal eyed the other patrons, not trusting the ensuing sensitive topic being discussed in public. "I'm going to rent a room. We shouldn't keep talking about this out in the open."

Kal climbed out of the booth, leaving behind her drink with Luke and went up to the bar to talk to Ackmena. When Kal leaned against the bar, Ackmena eyed her, amused. "Did you finish the bottle already, Kal?" she asked. "Need another?"

Shaking her head, Kal replied, "No, I'm still working on it. I was hoping for a room. You got one available?"

Ackmena raised an eyebrow and looked behind the young woman. "Find a man to distract yourself with?"

Kal didn't need to turn around to see what she was looking at. Ackmena had an acute sense of all the customers in the bar. She had seen Kal talking to Luke. "No, no, it's not like that, Ack. We need to talk in private." Ackmena visibly didn't believe her; regardless, she handed off a key to Kal in exchange for money. After the exchange, Kal returned to Luke, grabbed her glass and the bottle, and gestured for Luke to follow her. Once the door slid shut, Kal threw back her drink and harshly set the glass down on the table along with the bottle. "You can have a drink if you want. It's called Breath of Heaven. Kind of ironic, if you ask me, but it tastes a hell of a lot better than Jawa Juice. Sometimes I wonder if they use actual Jawas for it."

"What happened on Hoth?" Luke asked, moving passed the discussion of alcohol. "Leia said Han told you to get on the _Falcon_ , but you didn't and they had to take off."

Kal sat on the edge of the bed and leaned on her knees with a shrug. "I was supposed to get on one of the transports, but I got sidetracked." Kal wrung her hands and looked up at Luke, who still stood near the door. "I tried to make it, I swear. I met Vader in the tunnel just outside the hangar."

"That's why. . ." Luke trailed off as he reached up and rubbed his throat, remembering the major bruising she had had in the recording Gray had shown him.

Kal nodded mutely, not wanting to continue talking but knowing it was necessary. "I'm surprised he didn't snap my neck, to be honest, but he seemed surprised when he figured out who my parents were. . . When I came to, the base was destroyed. I made it to the remains of the Command Center and got out a distress signal to Boba. He picked me up, kept me hidden from Vader. I was too weak to put up much of a fight, but when I thought about it, going with Boba and staying with Han seemed like the best bet, which included in not interfering on Bespin. I'm sorry I couldn't get you more than a message in my droid. I didn't want to send anything too sensitive in case Gray was shot or captured."

Luke bit his lip, standing silently as another question clouded his mind. "Do you know who my father is?" he asked slowly.

"My dad told me when I first met you. I didn't want to believe it, but it made sense. Of course, he would protect and watch over the son of his greatest friend and greatest enemy."

"I think I need that drink now." Luke turned and walked to the table, pouring himself a drink in Kal's discarded glass. Kal let out a long breath, watching as he swallowed the drink, coughed a little at the burning sensation, set the glass back down, and moved to sit next to her. The bed dipped down next to her, his shoulder touching hers.

Together, they sat in silence for a few minutes, getting used to being in each other's company once again. It was strangely comforting to both of them, even if they weren't talking and the room was tense. Four long months had passed between them seeing each other last. They almost didn't know what to say. But Kal needed to know something, too. "What happened on Bespin?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, looking over at him.

Luke rubbed his right hand, not turning to look at her. "Vader told me he's my father. We were dueling. He was trying to lead me into a trap to carbon-freeze me like he did with Han and ended up cutting off my hand. And I lost my lightsaber."

"Really?" Kal's eyes drifted down to his hand, but both looked fine and whole. There was only one explanation. "Cybernetic covered in synthskin?" Luke nodded. "I guess we just need to get you a new lightsaber then."

"Oh, I built a new one." That wasn't what Kal had expected to hear. "Remember the journal your father left?" How could she forget it? They had gone through a lot just to get it. "I was reading it more thoroughly and found a page on how to construct a lightsaber. I still had the kyber crystal you gave me. Gray showed me where you stashed the lightsaber parts on the _Falcon_. Chewie was pretty amused, so I'm assuming you didn't tell him or Han you were hiding things on the ship."

Kal tried to stop herself from laughing to only slight success. "That's a fair assumption. It came in handy, though, huh?" She turned to him with a smile, meeting his eyes.

Just as before, her smile to him was infectious. No matter what had happened, he couldn't be angry with her. Not in the slightest. Not after everything she had done for him. "Yes, it did." Reaching over, Luke placed his hand over hers, holding it delicately. Kal liked the spread of warmth from his palm through the back of her hand. "There's a lot you've done that has helped everyone." Kal's heartbeat quickened as she gazed into Luke's eyes, their bodies and faces close. "Especially me."

"Luke," Kal murmured, daringly moving the slightest bit closer. "Are you ever going to ask about the first part of my message?"

_I wanted you to know something that I couldn't tell you in person. I love you._

He ran his thumb across the back of her hand. "We never did get to have our talk after the battle."

"Why do I get the feeling it's not going to be much of a talk?" She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. It drove her mad. Nudging his nose with hers, neither could stand the distance any longer. Both moved to close the gap, pressing their lips against each other in a sweet kiss.

A few hours later, Kal and Luke lay entangled in the sheets and each other. For hours, they drifted in and out of sleep together, until they woke before dawn. Luke lazily played with Kal's long hair as she rested her head on his chest and traced random patterns on his abdomen. She then reached over and grabbed his right hand, holding it close. Tracing his palm down to his wrist, she could barely pinpoint where synthskin became real skin, but the cybernetic didn't make him any less of a man. If anything, it was the mark of the man he had yet to become.

"Hey, Kal?" Luke said quietly, taking his hand from hers to brush away a strand of hair from her face.

"Yeah?" she muttered against his skin.

"I love you, too."

* * *

The following day, Kal entered the cantina and went immediately to an empty booth in a secluded corner. Eyeing the patrons of the bar, she searched for one in particular, one she hadn't met before but had heard many stories about when she grew up on Tatooine. She sat there until a dark-skinned man, unfamiliar to her, walked into the cantina. He seemed to try and draw as little attention as possible, but the signature mustache was hard to miss. Lando hadn't missed her presence as well.

The former scoundrel wound his way through the crowd of the nighttime bar-goers to where Kal sat and sat in the seat across from her.

"So, you're Kal?" Lando asked, leaning on the table, studying the young bounty hunter. "They've all talked a lot about you."

"Probably because I'm a pain in their asses," Kal replied with a shrug. "I finally get to meet the infamous Lando Calrissian. You know, I knew a boy when I was younger who liked to use fake names when he met people he didn't know. He used your name once. I, of course, knew it was a lie. There was no way someone so famous could have possibly been a boy younger than I."

Narrowing his eyes, he thought over her story and didn't like the insinuation that he was old. "Did this boy have shaggy black hair and a beautiful Mandalorian companion? Would've been extremely good at getting himself into trouble."

Kal hummed in affirmation while nodding, choosing to ignore the tidbit about Sabine. "So, you knew Ezra?"

"Yeah, I hired the _Ghost_ crew for a smuggling job a few years back."

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming it didn't go particularly well." Lando shrugged and made a few non-distinct noises but didn't actually answer. "Anyway, Luke told me about the plan. I can get you in, no problem. You'll need to rustle up some better clothes to blend in as a guard, but I can get you the vibro-blade and helmet. That'll give us two on the inside in case things go south with the other parts of the plan."

"How long do I have?" Lando asked, eyes darting around the bar.

"Meet me here tomorrow night. I'll take you to the palace. Bring a tracker with you, so the others will know where it is." Lando nodded curtly and moved to get up. "Lando." The former smuggler paused and looked at her. "Luke said Leia had a plan to disguise herself as a bounty hunter to get in. Tell her that Jabba doesn't let just any hunter in and barely any that have masks. She needs to choose wisely and know a lot about who she's impersonating. Jabba makes a point of knowing all he can and has droids and advisors to help him stay informed. I can't help her if she gets caught that early. I need to keep my cover for as long as possible."

"I'll pass on the message." Lando then left the cantina, Kal following after waiting a few minutes to avoid drawing suspicion.

Kal drove her speeder back to Jabba's Palace alone, ready for it to be the following night and the first step in the plan to free her friend from imprisonment in carbonite. Kal glided silently through the hall to the throne room. The music from the Max Rebo Band could be heard before she entered. The stench of blood, sweat, and alcohol permeated the air.

She put down a single foot on the steps into the throne room but was blocked by two large bodies. Resisting the desire to sigh or growl, Kal clenched her jaw at the sight of two bounty hunters she hadn't seen in a long time: Bossk and Dengar. The Trandoshan was just as tall and threatening as ever and the human just as leering and creepy.

"Well, if it isn't the little girl wandering back home after a late-night stroll," Dengar said harshly, sneering at her.

"Careful, Dengar," Kal warned, her voice tinged with an icy tone as she shifted her footing. "Don't work your single brain cell too hard. You might explode."

Dengar started to move forward, but Bossk placed a hand on his shoulder to stop the human hunter from doing anything rash. "Boba'sss been looking for you. I'd hurry over to him if I were you."

Kal nodded politely and went around the two, going down the stairs to leave them, but an utterance under Dengar's breath halted her steps. "Run back to your guard dog, little princess."

Pulling her small vibro-blade from her boot, Kal whipped around, grabbing Dengar and slamming him against the wall. She held the blade against his neck and stared into his eyes while other patrons of the Jabba the Hutt began to watch, suddenly aware of an ensuing conflict nearby. Kal ignored them and focused on the scarred man in front of her. "You were one of the bounty hunters hired by the Empire to capture Han right?" He didn't have to answer. She knew the names of each hunter the Empire had called upon. Her dark eyes bored into his. "How does it feel to be so pathetically one-upped by every hunter around you? When was your last successful job where you didn't fuck up or have someone else beat you to it? It must feel pretty shitty to be in your shoes. So why don't you stop acting like the pathetic worm you are before someone like me knocks you down a peg? Got it?"

If eyes could kill, she'd be dead a thousand times over, but she was tired of him trying to put her down. She dealt with it as a teenager, but as an adult, she was simply done. Kal stepped back and twirled the blade in her hand. After one last look, Kal turned away and walked further into Jabba's throne room, spotting Boba leaning against the wall nearby, having watched the whole encounter. She would talk to him later. She needed to sleep.

A new day was dawning soon. One that would be free of the tyranny of the Empire. One that Kal would see to personally.


	32. The Rescuers

4 ABY

Boots trudged through the warm sand as the twin suns started their descent in the sky above. The sand sunk beneath Kal's feet as she walked to her old home, having parked her speeder in a small cave a short distance away. She couldn't park it too close for fear that it would be seen and tracked. She had to stay hidden and be quick; otherwise, their whole plan could be shot to hell.

Two months had passed since she was able to get Lando into the palace as a guard. Soon, the next phase would go into effect. Kal just had to be sure of one more thing. The Force was drawing her back home.

No bounty hunters would be around this time to interrupt her looking it over. Her old home was empty when she entered, but it wasn't how she had last seen it. Furniture had been put back in their original spots. The hole in the wall from Kal forcing Boba through it had been patched up, albeit crudely. It looked mildly lived in. Had someone claimed the abandoned hut as their own? Upon quieting her mind, she realized what the Force was calling her to. She could feel Luke's signature in the cellar below.

The hatch had been forgone completely, so Kal dropped into the cellar, using the Force to cushion her landing. Luke was pulled from his meditation in the center of the room and looked up at her.

"You used to hate doing that," Kal pointed out as Luke stood up. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Trying to get him to sit and meditate was a nightmare.

"How'd you know I was here?" he asked, brushing off his pants to sweep away any sand.

"I didn't." Kal rushed forward and into his arms and he held her close, setting his head on top of hers. "It's only been two weeks, but I still hated it." They tried to meet up as often as they could without being suspicious. Whether it was at a cantina, Luke showing her where he used to race his friends, or Kal showing him where her father had trained her, they knew things were about to become hectic with the ensuing rescue and return to the rebellion. She wondered what Wedge, Hobbie, and Sabine had been up to in the past six months.

After placing a kiss on top of her head, Luke pulled back with a small smile, sliding his hands down her arms to hold her hands tightly in his. "I think Leia and Chewie are about ready. I just need to record the message for Jabba and send in Artoo and Threepio. Then Leia and Chewie will go in."

"Good because I want my droid back. . . And my friends, I guess." She playfully smiled at him and the two laughed together.

"You know, Kal, I was thinking," Luke started slowly, looking down at his boots.

"That sounds dangerous." Kal pulled one of her hands from his grasp and brought it to his chin, making him look at her. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing, it's just. . . well, after the rebellion, once we defeat the Empire, I want to try and rebuild the Jedi Order. And I want you with me."

Kal's eyes widened and she backed away from him, taking her hands from his and wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Me? Why would you want me?"

"While I've been trained by Ben and Yoda, I've learned the most about being a Jedi from someone who claims they aren't one. I can't think of a better person to make a new Order with. We can make it better than it was, what it was meant to be. You are a Jedi Master whether you were given the title or not."

She truly never thought she'd hear those words. She had long given up the notion of her being a Jedi Knight or Jedi Master. They were the dreams of her childhood, not her adulthood. At age twenty-five, her heart ached. "I don't think I'm ready to be called a Master."

Luke could feel the conflicting emotions in her. "You've earned it. You might not think it, but you have. Anyone with eyes can see that." He held out his hand to her. "Please."

Kal realized almost too late that he was asking for more than just her help but her heart as well. That he would have forever and always. She placed her hand in his and felt her heart lift and soar. An invisible weight had been released. "As long as you'll have me."

* * *

The moons were at their peak when Kal found herself meditating alone on the ridge overlooking the canyon closest to her old hut. The stars sparkled above, and the moons were at various phases, providing sufficient light for the young woman for when she decided to return to the hut. She knew Boba was probably worried about her lack of presence at Jabba's Palace, but she wanted a night to herself before the inevitable chaos ensued.

She allowed the tension to be released from her limbs as she breathed slowly in and out. She had one goal on that ridge: to commune with her father. It had been too long since she last heard his voice. And after feeling such peace after she took Luke's hand, Kal realized why she couldn't talk to him. She had blocked herself from being able to do so. She wasn't letting herself move on. She had only ever forcibly pushed things aside or behind her. She avoided certain topics. She was impulsive and brash. She had to let it go.

Reaching out with the Force, Kal made sure none of her walls were up, that she was completely calm and open and ready. Her breathing steady and eyes closed, she had to face her father in a different way than Luke had to face his.

"You jumped off the cliff the first time I brought you here."

Slowly opening her eyes, she turned her head to see her father's Force ghost standing next to her, staring out across the canyon. The wind of the desert didn't affect him. He looked exactly how she remembered him: stoic and serene.

"I wanted to be like you," she replied, picking herself up off the ground and dusting herself off. She folded her hands behind her back. "You had told me plenty of stories of Jedi using the Force to cushion their falls and them literally jumping into the fray. I wanted to do it, too."

He hummed and rubbed his chin. "You always had a knack for pushing the limits." Obi-Wan turned to his daughter with a sad smile. "You had such life growing up. I see it's returned."

"I didn't call you here to reminisce."

"I know. You had closed yourself off to me for years, but that doesn't mean I haven't watched over you. You are becoming who you were meant to be."

"What, a woman with existential problems?" she asked cheekily, tilting her head towards him.

Shaking his head slowly, Obi-Wan straightened his back and picked up his chin. "No, a leader. You have an uncanny ability to get people to follow you simply by caring for them and believing in them. I wasn't a good teacher for you, and I'm sorry for that. But you have far surpassed my expectations." He ducked his head down for a moment as he sighed then met her eyes again. "Even the greatest of Jedi aren't cut out to be fathers. Your mother thought I'd be good at it but training a child and being a parent are two separate things. I never knew what you needed. I was too focused on training you to be a Jedi. I failed you in that."

"I was a child!" Kal snapped. She took in a deep breath to calm herself, her jaw clenching and unclenching. She couldn't lose control. She had to stay calm. "Children aren't incredibly difficult to understand. I just wanted to be accepted and loved. That was all I ever truly wanted. That's why I left home. That's why I didn't stay with Ahsoka or Kanan. That's why I struggled with Boba. . . Luke's the only one who hasn't had expectations of who I'm supposed to be. And I fell in love with him in the process."

"I'm proud of you."

"I know. I just wish I hadn't had to do it all without you."

"Experience has made you wise beyond your years. I wish I hadn't failed you and your mother, but I would've held you back had you stayed with me on Tatooine. You will be a great Jedi Master, Kaleena."

* * *

Kal found herself lounging with Boba in Jabba's Palace before noon the next day. She could practically feel his wary gaze eying her beneath his helmet, but she ignored it. He knew she had been acting differently during the past few months no matter how much she tried to act normal. She had stopped watching Han's frozen form at all times. She had stopped picking fights with Dengar. She had calmed down more. Boba knew something was wrong. But what he thought was wrong was incredibly different than what she was secretly up to.

She avoided eating certain things she used to love. He had seen her throw up that morning after returning to the palace. But she had stopped drinking almost two months prior. As she kicked her feet up onto the table in front of them, Boba doubted she even knew. He had been around long enough and around enough pregnant women to know the signs. Kal was young and had grown up without a mother. She wouldn't know.

He wondered who the hell the father was.

Both bounty hunters made note of Bib Fortuna leaving the throne room and returning a few minutes later with two droids. Boba recognized the astromech and protocol droid from Bespin months before and Kal had to stop herself from showing any emotion, positive or negative. Bib walked over to Jabba's throne and whispered something in his ear. Jabba laughed in response which Kal did not take to be a good sign.

"Good morning," Threepio greeted politely with a bow.

"Bo shuda!" Jabba replied harshly.

While just a Huttese greeting, Threepio still jumped a little at the crime lord's tone. "The message, Artoo, the message." He wanted to get out of the disgusting palace as soon as possible.

Artoo whistled and projected the holographic recording of Luke onto the floor. At the sight of the person in the hologram, Boba turned to Kal, both peeved and strangely proud. That must've been where she kept running off to. And considering how often he had seen her with the young rebel, Boba wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be the one who had gotten Kal pregnant.

The recording of Luke towered over the patrons in the throne room. "Greetings, Exalted One. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight and friend to Captain Solo." Jabba looked extremely interested in Luke's words after the introduction. "I know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful. I seek an audience with Your Greatness to bargain for Solo's life." Jabba and the crowd laughed at the recording. There would be no bargain, Kal and Boba knew. Luke had also known, but a show of diplomacy was always better than immediately hatching a devious plan. "With your wisdom, I'm sure that we can work out an arrangement which will be mutually beneficial and enable us to avoid any unpleasant confrontation. As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift: these two droids." Luke swept his hand out, gesturing towards Threepio and Artoo.

"What did he say?" Kal heard Threepio ask Artoo, startled by the announcement.

"Both are hardworking and will serve you well," Luke finished and Artoo switched off the recording.

"This can't be! Artoo, you're playing the wrong message." No, Threepio, the astromech played the correct message.

Jabba continued laughing and, in Huttese, said, " _There will be no bargain. I will not give up my favorite decoration. I like Captain Solo where he is_." The droids were marched out of the throne room to be assimilated into the other droid staff.

Phase 2 was complete. They now had four on the inside. Kal couldn't help but let a smirk grace her expression as she stood to go to her assigned quarters, Boba following close behind. He wrapped his armored grip around her upper arm as they neared her room and pulled her inside. The door slid to a close behind them and Kal wrenched her arm from his grasp. "What the hell, Boba?" she asked.

He folded his arms over his chest. "Not going to do something rash in Jabba's Palace, huh? What happened to that?" he countered.

Grinning slyly, she replied, "I told you _I_ wasn't going to set him free. Didn't say I wasn't going to help others do it."

"I should turn you into Jabba right now." She could hear the exasperation and desperation in his voice.

"But you're not going to."

"Of course, I'm not going to." Boba waved his hands around, trying to grasp his bearings and figure out what else he was going to say to her. "You know I can't. But seriously, Kal. Defying Jabba shouldn't be at the top of your to-do list or anywhere near it at all. You know what happens when people cross him."

"And I can't let Han stay in carbonite forever!" Huffing, Kal lowered her voice just in case. "We've been through too much for me to just let that happen. I'm not sorry, Boba. We're getting Han out of here one way or another. You've already seen what I was willing to do to protect Luke. I'll do it again if you interfere."

"I've never understood your attachment to Solo."

"And I've never understood your hatred towards him. He's a good man whether you like it or not."

"Just. . . " Boba sighed, reaching up and peeling his helmet off so she could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Please be careful."

She reached out gently, taking his hand in hers. "You should join us. I don't think we'll make it out of this without killing Jabba. After that, you'll have no Hutt to serve. I know faithlessly serving the rebellion isn't your thing, but who knows? They might actually have jobs that only a hunter could do. And it's better than serving the Empire." She watched as he glanced downward, took in a deep breath, and looked back up at her. "Please, Boba."

He slowly nodded. "Alright. On your signal." Boba lifted his arm, holding out his arm. They clasped their forearms together in a tight grip, ready to face the underground gangster together.

That late afternoon, the real party started. Jabba's slave girl and a female dancer named Yarna danced in front of the throne as the Max Reebo Band played their music. Kal and Boba leaned against one of the walls to the side of Jabba's throne, disgusted at the Hutt's leering but not visibly reacting. They were used to it, they just didn't like it. Until his slave girl, a green Twi'lek named Oola, finally had enough of Jabba's lecherous staring and demanding nature.

Oola pulled against her chain, shaking her head and arguing in Huttese with the powerful Hutt. Boba and Kal glanced at each other, knowing it wouldn't end well. They had seen a few slaves rebel against Jabba and they all ended up the same: eaten by the rancor. Jabba slammed his fist down on the button next to him and the trap door beneath Oola's feet sprang open. She slid down the shaft to the chamber below while screaming. Neither Boba nor Kal dared go closer. They didn't need to see Pateesa eat the poor woman.

After the cheers from the patrons for Oola's death, a blaster shot is heard from the main hall. Kal and Boba ready their blasters, as was expected of them, but Kal could feel the presence of Leia and Chewie before they even entered the throne room.

Leia had chosen to impersonate Boushh. Was Leia out of her mind? Kal closed her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again, already not hopeful about the situation. Boba had literally told Jabba a few days prior that Boushh had been killed by the Black Sun months prior. Sure, his death wasn't widely known, most people present in the throne room would have no idea, but anyone with any legitimate connections, like the infamous Boba Fett, would know. It didn't help that Boushh and Leia were tiny compared to Chewie and Chewie was incredibly poorly restrained. Jabba was going to play along to catch the fake Boushh, Kal knew, and she couldn't do anything to help just yet. And there was no way she could be seen talking to Leia/Boushh lest be potentially considered part of the plan.

Leia spoke in Boushh's native Ubese once in front of Jabba, hand gripping the chain around Chewie's neck. " _At last we have the mighty Chewbacca_ ," Jabba announced in Huttese. He then called out for his new interpreter.

Threepio shuffled forward. "Oh, uh, yes, uh, I am here, Your Worshipfulness. Uh, yes?" the droid stuttered out while joining Jabba's side. Jabba continued speaking and Threepio translated. "The illustrious Jabba bids you welcome and will gladly pay you the reward of twenty-five thousand." Leia replied in Ubese which Threepio translated to Jabba, "Fifty-thousand. No less."

Jabba flew into a bit of rage, cursing in Huttese and hitting the protocol droid who fell off the throne. Kal chuckled to herself which Boba noticed. Kal shrugged and said quietly, "I've always wanted to hit that droid."

"Behave," Boba ordered, then turned back to the conversation.

Threepio got to his feet and stood in front of the throne, disheveled with green slime on him. "Oh, what did I say?" he asked mostly to himself. Jabba said something angrily and Threepio turned around to face Boushh. "Uh, the mighty Jabba asks why he must pay fifty thousand." Leia answered in Ubese and held up a small silver ball, clicking it on. "Because he's holding a thermal detonator!"

Boba and Kal point their blasters at the bounty hunter, but Kal had no actual intention to shoot. Boba mildly did, mostly because he had to. While the patrons backed away and the guards readied their weapons, Jabba simply laughed. " _This bounty hunter is my kind of scum, fearless and inventive_." Boba slowly lowered his blaster at Jabba's words, knowing there would be no-kill order if that was Jabba's reaction, and Kal followed his lead.

Threepio translated the second part of Jabba's words. "Jabba offers the sum of thirty-five. And I do suggest you take it." Leia as Boushh turned off the detonator and replied. "He agrees!" Threepio announced gleefully.

Chewie was then hauled away by Gamorrean guards to the dungeon, howling as he went. The band began playing music again, livening up the room once more.

Phase 3: complete.

Boba leaned down to speak to call in a low voice. "You know who's under the mask, don't you?" he asked.

Kal nodded slowly. "Try to avoid shooting her. We have contingencies, but I'd prefer it if this part went according to plan."

"But you know it won't. You know what Jabba knows."

"That means I'm going to keep her safe as best I can until the contingencies are in place. You said you're with me, Boba. You may have to prove it soon."

* * *

Night didn't come fast enough. While most of the regular patrons were asleep, or rather fake asleep, Jabba's trusted guards and advisors, namely Boba and Kal, were wide awake behind the curtain on the far side of the room. Jabba suspected that whoever was impersonating Boushh would wait until nightfall when most of his guests were asleep or gone before attempting to free Han Solo from the carbonite. Jabba was on the opposite side of the throne room behind his own curtain with Bib, Threepio, and a select few others, like the beloved dancer Yarna and the musician Jess, who seemed to have her eye constantly set on Bib.

Kal had to hand it to the crime lord. He was smart. She would have to be careful when choosing when she would intervene.

Kal and Boba could see the ongoings of the other side of the curtain. Leia, while trying to be quiet, didn't actually succeed all too well, particularly when lowering the carbonite slab and unfreezing Han. Leia would've been an awful spy. Kal then watched as her friend took off her helmet and kissed Han.

While it was happy to see, the kiss was ill-timed. Jabba cackled from his throne as Leia helped the sick Han off the floor. "What's that?" Han asked Leia. But then he recognized it. "I know that laugh." The curtain concealing the disgusting Hutt slid open. Leia helped Han turn around to face him, the curtain concealing Kal, Boba, and the other guards and hunters opening as well. They were stationed right behind the rebel princess and the smuggler. "Hey, Jabba. Look, Jabba, I was just on my way to pay you back, but I got a little sidetracked. It's not my fault."

" _It's too late for that, Solo_ ," Jabba told him. " _You may have been a good smuggler, but now you're Bantha fodder_." Salacious Crumb maniacally laughed from his spot on Jabba's throne, other aliens joining in. Han tried to say more, but Jabba ordered Han to be taken away.

A Gamorrean guard and a human skiff guard took Han by the arms. "Jabba, I'll pay you triple! You're throwing away a fortune here. Don't be a fool!" The disguised Lando sidled up behind Leia while the other guards took Han away.

" _Bring her to me_ ," Jabba ordered.

One of the pigs brought her forward, forcing her closer to the crime lord as she struggled. "We have powerful friends," Leia threatened. "You're going to regret this."

" _I'm sure_." Jabba's tongue slithered out of his mouth, wetting his lips. Leia turned away, absolutely disgusted and trying not to throw up. No one should have to endure close proximity to the Hutt, but Kal and Lando had to wait for Luke before acting. Two lightsabers were better than one. Although, she could sense the Force from the kyber crystal in Luke's lightsaber emanating from inside Artoo, so if she really wanted to, she could snatch it and dual wield which wasn't her specialty. If only they had Ahsoka.

Instead, Kal had to watch as Leia was dragged out barely an hour later dressed in skimpy slave attire. Kal grimaced at the sight of the metal brassiere and skirt, if it could even be considered a skirt, and could feel Leia's displeasure across the throne room. As much as she wanted the pleasure of killing the overgrown slug, Kal knew Leia deserved it more after the humiliating spectacle Jabba was trying to make the former princess into.

Leia met Kal's gaze from where she sat on Jabba's throne. Kal nodded in the slightest bit as a silent 'hang in there.' Hopefully, Luke would get there early the following day so they could get Han and Chewie out of the cells and Leia into some different clothes. Even poor Oola had had slightly better clothing coverage.

* * *

Kal would've liked to say she had a fantastic night's sleep, but she'd be lying. All night, until the dawn of Tatooine's twin suns, she tossed and turned, worrying about the morning. She doubted any of the others had gotten much rest either. After dressing and securing her lightsaber under her long overcoat, Kal left the room and met up with Boba in his quarters. They enjoyed, or rather stomached through, their breakfast, both dreading the day to come.

It wouldn't be the first time Boba had betrayed his employer, but something about turning on Jabba made his skin itch. Maybe because it was in favor of a man he didn't get along with. As Boba looked over the female companion sitting next to him, he couldn't imagine doing anything else. She had grown on him since they had met on Coruscant all those years ago, like a daughter he never had. His heart had broken when he had turned her away on Alsakan. Boba wanted to threaten Dengar every time he made a snide comment about her. He wanted to protect her with every bounty she took on. He didn't want her or her unborn child anywhere near Jabba the Hutt.

Boba tensed at Kal sitting up quickly and looking towards the door. He hadn't heard anything from outside it, but he had learned to trust her senses. "What is it?" Boba asked quietly, hand resting on his blaster.

"Luke's here. I can feel his presence," she told him, standing from her seat. Boba put on his helmet and followed Kal out of the room and down the hall to Jabba's throne room, passing near Threepio as they came up behind the rotisserie cooker behind Jabba's throne. Most of the inhabitants of the room were still asleep as well. Showtime.

Not even a few seconds later, Bib Fortuna entered the throne room with a hooded figure still conversing quietly. Gamorrean guards woke from their slumber as did a few of the patrons while Bib made his way to his master.

Luke walked to the center of the room, standing under the skylight. "At last!" Threepio exclaimed to himself, recognizing his owner even under the hooded black cloak. "Master Luke's come to rescue me." Boba eyed Kal beneath his helmet at the sheer lack of subtlety the golden droid possessed. Kal simply shrugged, knowing what he was thinking.

"Master," Bib said, bent towards his master and rousing the Hutt. Jabba woke with a start and Bib continued in Huttese. " _This is Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight_."

" _I told you not to admit him_ ," Jabba replied angrily.

"I must be allowed to speak," Luke said which Bib reiterated to Jabba. Kal then knew he was using the Force. Luke spotted the smirk pulling at her lips from her place beside Boba.

Jabba realized it, too. Grabbing Bib, the Hutt pulled his majordomo closer. " _You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick_." He shoved the Twi'lek away and Bib fell off the throne.

Luke stepped forward, pulling down his hood. "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me," he ordered, attempting the trick on the Hutt.

Jabba began to laugh, and the guards drew closer to Luke. Kal placed her hand over her coat, feeling the lightsaber hiding beneath it. " _Your mind powers will not work on me, boy_."

Folding his hands calmly in front of him, Luke slowly took a few steps forward. "Nevertheless, I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this or be destroyed. It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my power."

"Master Luke, you're standing on-" Threepio got cut off by the Hutt. Kal moved to see what the droid was trying to point out, only to see Luke standing on the secret hatch that led straight down to the rancor pit.

" _There will be no bargain, young Jedi. I shall enjoy watching you die_."

Luke called a blaster from a nearby smuggler to his hand and attempted to shoot Jabba, only for a Gamorrean to stop it. Jabba hit the button for the hatch, sending Luke and the pig down to Pateesa, Kal watching in horror.

Boba grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her before she could rush forward half-cocked with no plan and an ignited lightsaber. "No, don't," Boba said quietly, pulling her back into the hall behind them. Everyone in the throne room may have been occupied watching in anticipation for two more rancor deaths, but if one of them simply looked up and saw Kal wanting to rush to the aid of the young Jedi, she would be put in binders and thrown in the cells. "You need to stay calm."

"Let me go, Boba," Kal hissed, struggling to get out of his grip, legs kicking and body wiggling. Her raw strength against Boba's was nothing. She could never beat him in a strength contest. "I need to help him. He doesn't have his lightsaber."

"You need to let it play out. If he really is the Jedi he claims to be, he'll live. He'll live. Calm yourself and you'll know I'm right, Kal. I know, if you really wanted, you could use the Force on me and go help him, but I'm telling you, you need to wait until he makes it out of there on his own. You know how Jabba will react after that."

Kal slowly stopped struggling as she realized what Boba was trying to tell her. "The Sarlacc Pit. He'll bring out Han and Chewie for the execution."

"And you won't have to fight a path all the way down to the cells." With Kal calm and collected once again, Boba unwound his arms, letting her go. "Now, let's go see how your lover boy's doing against the beast."

She reared her head back, looking at Boba strangely as he walked past her, but she decided not to reply, following him back to their places behind Jabba. Kal and Boba watched through the grated floor as the rancor began closing in on Luke. Luke grabbed a large bone behind him and Pateesa picked him up. Luke stuck the bone into Pateesa's mouth, and the rancor dropped him and roared, giving time for Luke to hide. The bone snapped in the rancor's mouth and he started forward again, reaching under to where Luke had hidden. Luke grabbed a large rock and slammed it into the rancor's hand, angering it again.

Luke crawled out of his spot and ran to the other side of the pit, to the utility door he had spotted. Pressing the button, the door slid open but on the other side was a heavy barred gate. Two guards looked up at him. After trying to manually unhinge the door by pulling on it, Luke turned around and saw the rancor heading towards him.

Pulling away from the door, Luke leaned in an alcove nearby. Pateesa roared and Luke noticed the main door control panel a short distance away. The rancor ducked down to move under the overhead door as Luke picked up a skull from the cave floor and threw it at the panel. The giant overhead door came crashing down onto Pateesa's head, slamming him down to the ground.

The viewers above gasped in horror while Lando, Leia, and Kal were relieved. The rancor had been killed and Luke was still alive.

" _Bring me Solo and the Wookiee. They will all suffer for this outrage_."

Guards dragged Han, Chewie, and Luke up to the throne room. Kal itched to unsheathe her lightsaber once she saw Luke being led up the stairs. "Han!" Luke yelled, getting his friend's attention.

"Luke!" Han replied, recognizing the voice and happy to hear someone familiar while still blind from hibernation sickness.

"Are you alright?" Luke asked as they were brought to the center of the room.

Han struggled to walk correctly without his eyesight while shivering from the sickness. "Fine. Together again, huh?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

"How we doing?"

"Same as always," Luke confessed, but he didn't seem too particularly put out. Kal silently agreed, nodding her head to herself.

"That bad, huh? Where's Leia?"

"I'm here," Leia chimed in from her spot on Jabba's throne.

Jabba spoke in Huttese and Threepio translated. "Oh, dear. His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately."

"Good, I hate long waits," Han interrupted. Kal and Boba rolled their eyes. Only Han Solo would make light of the situation at hand.

The protocol droid continued. "You will, therefore, be taken to the Dune Sea and cast in the Pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc."

"Doesn't sound so bad," Han said optimistically.

Threepio wasn't quite done. "In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years." Chewie howled in protest.

The severity of the moment finally weighed on Han. "On second thought, let's pass on that."

"You should have bargained, Jabba," Luke threatened, looking to Kal standing behind the Hutt. "This is the last mistake you'll ever make." He nodded curtly at Kal as the guards started to take them away.

From her place behind Jabba, Kal slipped her hand under her coat, unclipped her lightsaber, and ignited it. The crisp sound of the blade forming drew the attention of the crowd. Kal sliced through Bib and Force pushed the closest guards across the room.

Jabba, outraged, began spouting orders in Huttese and the room delved into chaos. Kal jumped over Jabba and landed in front of Luke and Han, stabbing the guard between them and slicing through the binders to free the three. Artoo, off in the corner, shot Luke's lightsaber into the air, and Boba began picking off guards with his blaster.

Kal dodged instinctively, the Force warning her of Salacious Crumb jumping at her. She sliced him in half as he landed on the floor and plucked her blaster from her belt and tossed it to Lando who could aim better than he could swim a vibro-axe. Leia ducked behind the throne with her chain in her hands and began strangling Jabba amidst the chaos of blaster fire and swinging lightsabers. One by one, guards and patrons fell as they were sliced or shot down. The super unlucky ones had their arms ripped out of their sockets by Chewie because they were dumb enough to try and kill Han.

Kal took pleasure in sliding the tip of her blade through Dengar's stomach. Bossk simply stayed sitting in his chair, choosing to take a sip of his drink instead and not feeling the need to be in front of her lightsaber, although the sight of it did surprise him. The krayt dragon pearl made more sense all of a sudden.

The Force warned her to turn around, so she did, only to see two angry smugglers rushing towards her. She stopped them in place with a simple raise of her hand as Dengar hit the ground next to her. She lifted them off the floor and threw them off to the side. They hit the wall and became unconscious.

Looking around the throne room, everyone of importance was dead. Stragglers ran to the doors, delving deeper into the palace or leaving it completely. Musicians, dancers, and servers were hiding in alcoves and behind tables. Leia was slumped over on the throne, breathless from the struggle of strangling the crime lord, and Han sat next to her, still blind and shivering but safe. The droids stood next to them. Chewie slapped Lando on the back harshly but in good nature. Boba and Luke eyed each other warily, but the lightsaber was off and the blaster pointed downwards.

Kal turned off her own saber and joined her friends. Stripping off her coat, she handed it to Leia. "Thanks," Leia said as she pulled it on.

"Not a problem," Kal replied. "If the overgrown slug made me where that, I'd want to strangle him, too." She looked pointedly at the metal bikini then turned to the whole group. "We should get going. The throne room's not the only room with people loyal to Jabba."

"What about. . . " Lando trailed off, nodding his head towards the people hiding and Bossk just not caring.

Luke hooked his lightsaber onto his belt. "Our quarrel was with Jabba and anyone who tried to defend him. We're done here."


	33. Back to the Beginning

4 ABY

The journey to where the _Falcon_ and Luke's X-wing were parked was far more tense among the group than slaughtering half of Jabba's patrons. Kal knew it was because of Boba Fett's obvious, unavoidable presence. Kal forged ahead of the group with Luke and Boba. Leia, Chewie, and Lando walked with Han, who was still recovering from the hibernation sickness. The two droids trailed behind them constantly bickering.

The desert wind blew harshly. Luke had tried no less than four times to get Kal to take his cloak since Leia still wore Kal's long coat, but she continued to refuse for the Force was her ally against the biting sand threatening to eat her skin. Boba had watched, mildly entertained. There was no doubt in Boba's mind that the blond man was the one who had gotten Kal pregnant.

Boba, for reasons Kal couldn't tell, was the one to break the silence after a time. "I tried to kill your father once," the bounty hunter said, facing Luke as they walked a step behind Kal's brisk pace. "Although, he was also trying to kill me."

"I'm sorry, what?" Luke asked, taken aback. Kal raised an amused eyebrow at their conversation but didn't look at them.

"It was on Maryx Minor," Boba explained, recalling the memory. "He had hired me to acquire something for him. Once I found out what it was, I didn't want to hand it over. But I had crossed paths with him a few times when he was still a man. Almost killed him a few times."

"So. . . you know that my father is. . . "

"Darth Vader? Yeah. Who do you think gave him your name?"

Luke's steps faltered but Boba continued walking forward with Kal. Luke couldn't find it in himself to be surprised, he just hadn't expected to ever find out that information.

Once the ragtag group reached the _Falcon_ and the X-Wing, Kal spotted an impending sandstorm on the horizon. "We should probably hurry," Kal said, gesturing to the sand cloud. She turned to Boba as Chewie and Lando climbed aboard the _Falcon_ to ready it for takeoff and Luke talked to Han and Leia. "I know you won't join up, but thank you for helping us out."

"Anything for you, Kal," the bounty hunter replied. "Be safe, and you might want to take it easy." He wanted to say more. A lot more. But Boba Fett had always been a man of few words. They were about to get themselves into trouble. She didn't need to know something that would hold her back.

Why would she want to take it easy? She didn't quite understand. Kal smirked, ignoring the minorly confused part of herself. "I'll try." Boba began to walk away. "Wait, Boba!" Her old mentor turned around. "Do you know where Dengar parked his ship?" He tilted his head. She could feel his pointed stare and questioning gaze, but it didn't faze her. "What? He won't be needing it anymore."

"Docking Bay 87 in Mos Eisley." She nodded with a cheeky grin and saluted him.

He was about to walk away again when his name was called. Boba resisted groaning and turned once again to see Luke jogging over to him. Kal bowed out and went to check on Han and Leia. Luke held out his arm civilly for Boba to take. "I wanted to express my gratitude. We can't exactly pay you or anything-"

Boba cut off the young Jedi. "No payment necessary." He couldn't remember the last time he had said those words if he had ever said them at all. Boba grasped forearms with the young man before him. "Take care of her."

"I will."

The older man had to admire the kid's conviction. "If you hurt her, I won't hesitate to hunt you down."

The slightest hint of amusement showed on Luke's face. "I can say the same."

Boba smiled beneath his helmet. He may not have completely liked the idea of his surrogate daughter being an adult who no longer needed his aid, but he knew she was in good hands and would become a wonderful mother herself. They dropped their arms and Boba went his own way.

Kal watched Boba walk away from them, leaving on good terms instead of bad. Her heart ached to see him go, but she knew it was for the best. He didn't belong in a group or fighting for a grand cause. Boba Fett would always be a loner. Luke turned around and noticed her watchful, sad gaze. Walking over, he took her in his arms, setting his cheek on her crown. At least the craziness was over. They had to return to the larger fight. Luke's arms were too comfortable, she didn't want to move. But she did, pulling away to look at him.

He brought a hand to her jaw and rubbed his thumb over her soft cheek. "I need to go back to Dagobah."

Her eyebrows pinched together. "Why?" she asked.

No matter how many times she made the same expressions, Luke would forever love them. And her. "I promised Yoda I'd return," he explained. "I know there's still much I need to learn." He paused, looking over her face. "I think you should come with me and meet him."

One of her eyebrows quirked up. "There's no way we'd both fit comfortably in that cockpit. Luckily, I know where to get a ship."

He recognized her evil smile from a mile away even before it sprung to life on her face. "Do I even want to know?" he asked tentatively.

Kal shrugged. "It's a dead man's ship. He won't be using it from the hell he's in."

A light laugh escaped Luke's lips. "Like that makes it any better. Do you need an escort?"

"I'll get a ride to Mos Eisley from Chewie and Lando."

"I'll wait for you in orbit." Luke bent to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

She smiled up at him, biting her lip, before turning and hurrying up the loading ramp of the _Falcon_. Luke climbed into his own ship with Artoo having already begun preparing for takeoff.

Kal pushed the button to close the ramp and heard a beep and whistle from further down the corridor of the Corellian freighter. She recognized the familiar noise. Making her way down the passage, Gray zoomed forward to meet his master, whistling excitedly and floating around her. "I missed you, too, buddy." Placing a hand on his top, she rubbed the droid like she would pet an animal. Gray settled himself on her shoulder as Kal asked Chewie to drop her off in Mos Eisley and stayed there for the duration of the short flight, except for when Kal pulled her coat back on after getting it back from Leia. Thankfully for Leia, no one in the rebellion would see that slave outfit. Kal couldn't help but think Han would be mildly disappointed he didn't get to see her wear it.

Dengar's ship was a sight to behold. Twenty meters long and valued at over four-hundred thousand credits, Kal had heard plenty of stories of the now-deceased bounty hunter only taking dead bounties and spending much of his rewards upgrading the crescent-shaped scout ship. The red accents would certainly have to go once Kal had the time to transform the _Punishing One_ into her own ship. Perhaps a cyan to match her lightsaber or a green to match Luke's.

Kal almost flew out of the pilot seat once she flew the ship out of the docking bay and through the air. "That's got a kick," she said to Gray. Dengar really knew how to modify the ship. Gray beeped in agreement. When the ship left the atmosphere of the desert planet, she flew it next to Luke's X-Wing. They nodded to each other and entered hyperspace. With the ship securely on the path, Kal had one request for her droid. "Gray, scan the ship to find out what's been modified and upgraded compared to an assembly line JumpMaster 5000 model." He beeped and got to work, happy to be useful once again rather than collecting dust on the _Falcon_ or watching Artoo and Threepio bicker.

Once finished, Gray plugged into the main console to show his master the schematics of the ship with lines pointing to modifications. Kal hummed as she looked over the changes. "Well, Dengar had a _lot_ of time on his hands. Who needs a quad laser cannon, an ion cannon, and a proton torpedo launcher in addition to the twin laser cannons that come with the ship? Paranoid much? At least he upgraded the damn hyperdrive and backup, too." Why a scout ship would only come with a Class 3 hyperdrive, Kal wasn't sure. The logic didn't exactly add up, but at least Dengar had enough sense to upgrade it to a Class 1, the same as an X-Wing. Not as fast as the _Millenium Falcon's_ Class 0.5 but still far better than it was originally. Kal did a double-check for one feature Dengar added. "He installed an astromech brain to do the shooting for him? Lame."

The moment the ship left hyperspace, Kal was hit with large Force energy, leaving her momentarily breathless. Knowing Dagobah was highly attuned to the Force was one thing. Feeling it was another. The clashing energies of the Light Side and the Dark Side could be felt in orbit. No wonder Master Yoda had chosen the planet as his place of exile. There was no possible way the Emperor nor Darth Vader would be able to feel his Force signature on the jungle planet.

Luke's comm patched through to hers. "You alright?" he asked, looking over through his own windshield into hers.

"Yeah, yeah," Kal replied. "I've just never felt this much Force attunement in one place before."

"Be careful on the descent. Don't rely on the computer. If you do, you'll crash."

"Is that what you did?" His distinctive silence told her everything she needed to know. "I'm following you, farmboy."

The atmosphere was filled with a thick fog which quickly melded with the vines and branches of the jungle, but as Luke had recommended, Kal felt her way through, ignoring the disrupted computer scanners of the ship until she broke through the fog line and landed on the hard ground near Luke's X-Wing.

"Stay with the ship," Kal ordered Gray as she disembarked. "I don't know what to expect here." The ground soft and the air damp, Kal found the planet to be the strangest one she had ever visited. Perhaps it was because she had just left the arid Tatooine. She had been on jungle planets but not swamp planets.

Luke climbed out of his fighter and dropped to the ground. Kal watched as he stripped off his flight suit. It wouldn't be good to get it dirty or torn. When Luke fully faced Kal, he asked, "You ready?"

With a lopsided grin, she replied, "I'm not sure I like the black on you." She waved up and down his body. While he looked good, it didn't suit him. He needed something light.

"That didn't answer my question." Nevertheless, he chuckled and held out his hand which she happily took in hers. "His hut's just over there." Luke nodded his head towards a small brown building a short way away.

Luke and Kal crouched down and crawled through the entryway. "Master Yoda," Luke called out. The dwelling reminded Kal of her old hut on Tatooine. Humble, scarcely decorated, and befitting a Jedi Master.

"Returned, have you?" an older, hoarse voice asked. "And a friend you brought, hm?" Kal looked up once inside and saw Master Yoda, exactly how her father had described him. Old, small, and green with big ears and simple clothing.

She sat next to Luke, careful not to bump her head on the short ceiling as Luke replied, "Master Yoda, this is-"

"Kaleena Kenobi, yes," Yoda interrupted. She hadn't gone by the name Kenobi since she was a child. She had favored the use of her mother's surname as it was more inconspicuous than her father's. It felt strange to hear it. The wise Jedi Master studied her. He walked slowly up to her with his cane. "Learned much about you, I have, from your father, yes. Powerful Jedi was he. Tell me, why have you come?"

"Luke thought I should. It's an honor to meet you," Kal told him.

"Answer the question, you did not."

Kal let out a slow breath. Barely two minutes into meeting the famed Jedi Master, and she realized just how much her father hadn't been joking about. "For many years I was disillusioned by the Jedi Order, and now I find myself wanting to preserve it."

His ears dipped lower and his gaze softened. "A wise Master will you be." Yoda looked to Luke sitting beside her. "Hmm, that face you make. Look I so old to young eyes?"

Luke tried to change his expression. "No, of course not." The truth was, the longer Luke sat there, the surer he became that something was wrong with Yoda. The Jedi Master seemed more frail and weak than he had been the last time Luke had been there.

Yoda chuckled, still cheerful despite everything. "I do, yes, I do! Sick have I become. Old and weak." He pointed at the two young Jedi. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not, hmm?" Yoda chuckled again, coughed a little, and hobbled towards his bed. "Soon will I rest. Yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have." Yoda sat on his bed slowly.

"Master Yoda, you can't die," Luke said.

"Strong am I with the Force, but not that strong. Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of the Force."

Luke shook his head sadly. "But I need your help. I've come back to complete the training."

"No more training do you require. Already know you that which you need." Yoda lied back on his bed. Kal could see and feel his struggle. It wouldn't be long before he passed and became one with the Force.

"Then I am a Jedi?" While Luke tried to make it sound more like a statement, Kal didn't miss the slight uptick in his words. He was still unsure of himself, but no training could change that. He had to.

"Ohhh." Yoda sounded amused but shook his head. "Not yet. One thing remains, Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be. And confront him you will."

Kal reached over, placing a hand on Luke's as he was silent for a long moment. "Master Yoda, why didn't you tell me he's my father?"

Yoda's eyes were weary and his smile sad. "Told you, did he?"

"Yes."

"Unexpected this is, and unfortunate. . ." Yoda trailed off.

"Unfortunate that I know the truth?" Luke supplied.

Yoda mustered all his strength. "No." He said it with more conviction than anything he had said since they arrived. "Unfortunate that you rushed to face him. . . that incomplete was your training. Not ready for the burden were you."

"I'm sorry."

Yoda looked up at the two young Jedi. Both had come a long way from the immature children they once were. He knew they were the future of the Jedi Order. Once again, he had hope, something he hadn't had since before the fall of the Republic. "Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Luke. . . Luke, do not. . . Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will. When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be. The Force runs strong in your families. Pass on what you have learned." Yoda struggled to breathe. "There is. . . another. . . Sky. . . Sky. . . walker."

A shiver ran through the old Jedi Master as he died before their eyes. Yoda disappeared underneath his blanket, becoming one with the Force.

Luke put a hand over his mouth as he stared at the bed. Kal rubbed the back of his other hand with her thumb, trying to provide comfort and reassurance. She hadn't known Mater Yoda, but she could tell Luke had grown fond of the old Master in the short time he had known him.

"I'm sorry, Luke," she said gently. "But we should return to the fleet." He slowly nodded, knowing she was right. Part of him wanted to stay hidden on Dagobah forever, but he knew he couldn't. And Kal wouldn't let him.

The two crawled out of the hut and made their way back to the ships. "I can't believe he's gone," Luke said, mostly to himself and still holding Kal's hand.

"Yoda will always be with you." Kal and Luke turned to see the Force ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi approaching them through the swamp.

"Obi-Wan! Why didn't you tell me?" Luke asked. Luke and Kal walked forward to meet him. "You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father."

"Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force," Obi-Wan explained as he sat down on a fallen log. "He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true. . . from a certain point of view."

Luke's hand tightened around Kal's. He was slightly peeved at her father and she completely understood. "A certain point of view?" he repeated with derision.

"Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." Luke didn't reply and Obi-Wan studied them for a moment. While he had once hoped they would grow close, he hadn't thought they would be closer than mere friends. It didn't matter at that moment, however. Luke needed to know the truth. "I don't blame you for being angry. If I was wrong in what I did, it certainly wouldn't have been for the first time. You see, what happened to your father was my fault."

"No, it wasn't, Dad," Kal interrupted before he could continue. "Even you couldn't foresee Palpatine using Anakin's insecurities against him. It's what the Sith do. You did your best to teach him."

"I could have done better," Obi-Wan argued. He looked to Luke who moved to sit next to the ghost. "When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot. But I was amazed at how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi. I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong."

While Luke was in awe to finally learn more about his father, he was certain of one thing, "There's still good in him."

"I also thought he could be turned back to the side of good. It couldn't be done. He is more machine now than man. Twisted and evil."

Luke shook his head. "I can't do it, Ben."

"You cannot escape your destiny," Obi-Wan insisted.

"I tried to stop him once. I couldn't do it."

Ben gazed sadly upon his young pupil. If only he could see the potential that both Kal and her father could see in him. "Vader humbled you when you first met him, Luke," Obi-Wan explained. "But that experience was part of your training. It taught you, among other things, the value of patience. Had you not been so impatient to defeat Vader then, you could have finished your training here with Yoda. You would have been prepared."

"But I had to help my friends."

The ghost grinned at Luke's indignation. "And did you help them? It was they who had to save you. You achieved little by rushing back prematurely, I fear. To be a Jedi, you must confront and then go beyond the dark side-the side your father couldn't get past. Impatience is the easiest door, for you, like your father. Like Kaleena and I, as well. Only, your father was seduced by what he found on the other side of the door, and you have held firm. You're no longer so reckless now, Luke. You are strong and patient. And now, you must face Darth Vader again."

"I can't kill my own father."

Obi-Wan leaned back. "Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope."

"Yoda spoke of another."

"The other he spoke of is your twin sister."

If Luke could look even more confused, he did. "But I have no sister."

"To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous."

Luke glanced down, taking in the information he was given. As a child, he had often wondered what it would've been like to have a sibling. He never legitimately believed he would ever have one. But there was one person who he had been drawn to from the moment they met. At first, he thought it was an attraction, yet it wasn't the same as the attraction he had felt towards Kal. "Leia," he finally said. "Leia's my sister."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Your insight serves you well." Kal was shocked, to say the least. While she could feel a hint of Leia's Force-sensitivity, she never thought for an instant that Leia was the twin her father had once told her Luke had. "Bury your feelings deep down, Luke. They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor."

Luke looked into the distance, trying to comprehend everything. Kal set a hand on his shoulder, feeling the turmoil and confusion bubbling within him. At least he finally knew the truth.

"Your mother died after giving birth to you," Obi-Wan explained. Luke looked at him, wanting to hear more. "To the galaxy, she had lost the child when she died, but you and Leia lived and were separated. Senator Organa of Alderaan had been a good friend of your mother. He and his wife had always wanted a daughter, so they readily took her in while I brought you to your father's step-brother on Tatooine. The Organa household was high-born and politically quite powerful on Alderaan. Leia became a princess by virtue of lineage. No one knew she'd been adopted, of course. Leia, following in her foster father's path, became a senator as well. That's not all she became, of course. She became the leader of her cell in the Alliance against the corrupt Empire. And because she had diplomatic immunity, she was a vital link for getting information to the rebel cause. That's what she was doing when her path crossed yours, for her foster parents had always told her to contact me on Tatooine if her troubles became desperate."

While the explanation was long, it filled Luke with a sense of responsibility towards keeping his sister safe. "But I can't let her get involved now, Ben. Vader will destroy her."

"She hasn't been trained in the ways of the Jedi the way you two have, but the Force is strong with her, as it is with all your family. There is no avoiding battle. You must face and destroy Vader. Yoda and I will be with you every step of the way, but this is something you must do for the good of the galaxy and the lives of your friends."

Luke slowly nodded, still not quite content with the idea of facing off against his father once again. He knew he had to face him, but he wasn't quite sure he could kill him.

"Thank you, Ben, for telling me the truth."

Obi-Wan gave him a smile. "When you're ready, Kaleena can tell you more about your mother. But only when you're ready." Luke and Kal donned matching confused expressions. Kal knew she could tell him all about Padmé, but why did he add the discretion of Luke needing to be ready?

"How will I know when I'm ready?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan stared forlornly at the two of them. He could sense what they haven't been able to. Or perhaps they could but didn't recognize it. Or Kal couldn't sense it over the Force stemming from her mother's necklace. Too many Force-signatures could be confusing to the mind. He glanced down at Kal's stomach but quickly returned his gaze to their faces. He couldn't bring himself to tell them. Not right before Luke had to face his destiny. The fewer worries, the better. The less he could let slip to Vader, the better. "You'll know."

The old Jedi Master then disappeared, leaving them alone.

Luke stood, still confused but ready to move forward. He turned to Kal and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Your father enjoys being confusing, doesn't he?"

Kal chuckled and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "You didn't have to grow up with it. I'm sure we'll figure it out in time. But right now, we should hurry to the fleet. They'll be expecting us."

They began walking towards their respective ships, greeting their droids. Before either fully boarded, Luke called out, "Do you know what you're going to name it?" He pointed to her new ship.

Ship names often had to do with their owners, such as an aspect of their personality or something in their past. Kal could only think of one thing that truly defined where her path first began. In the desert with a krayt dragon. She smiled and answered, "The _Desert Dragon_."


	34. Searching For Reason

4 ABY

The flight to the Sullust system went by faster than the flight to Dagobah. Kal was itching for a fight despite having just gotten into one. She needed to do something. Things through the Force felt tense. A battle was about to commence. The moment Luke and Kal landed in the main hangar bay of the Command ship, they were informed of the meeting taking place in the Command Center. Something about a new battle station and taking the fight to the Empire.

They heard Han's loud voice as they walked down the hall say, "My team's ready, but I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." Kal glanced at Luke as they heard Chewie growl. "That's one."

"General, count me in," Leia added.

"We're with you, too!" Luke called out as he and Kal entered the room.

Everyone in the room looked to them as they hopped down the steps and personnel parted to let them through to their friends. Han and Leia grinned and shot up from their seats, walking over to the two Jedi while everyone else talked amongst themselves. The group was back together again and they were about to jump back into the fray. As the leaders of the rebellion began leaving the room to attend to their duties and continue preparing for the attack, Luke's hand rested gently on Kal's hip as he held her close. His touch never ceased to comfort her.

As Leia was about to lead them to be outfitted for their mission, a voice called out from behind them. "I called it!" Kal and Luke turned around to see an excited Hobbie and an amused Wedge hurrying towards them. Hobbie pointed at the two Jedi. "I called it from day one, you remember?" he asked Wedge. "'He's so annoying.'" Hobbie waved his hand dramatically. "Bantha fodder, all of it. He grew on you."

Luke's eyebrows pulled together as he looked to Kal, slightly amused and slightly offended. "You thought I was annoying?" he asked.

She awkwardly shrugged. "Well, you were kinda whiny and naive." She turned to Hobbie and Wedge. "Thanks so much for that." Regardless of her displeasure of Hobbie telling Luke of her initial thoughts towards him, she moved forward and hugged the two pilots, both of which happily returned it.

"It's good to see you again, hunter," Wedge said. "We were worried you had died on Hoth."

"It takes more than some falling ice to kill me, you know that." She decided against telling them the truth in the public area. "I'll tell you all about my adventures if we survive this, alright?"

"We're gonna hold you to that." Wedge made eye contact with Luke. "Watch her. She likes to get into trouble."

"Don't I know it," Luke said, a small grin pulling at his lips.

Kal rolled her eyes. "May the Force be with you," she told them, her expression soft. She could feel that many people were about to die in the ensuing conflict, people from both sides. Whether they won or lost, she wanted her friends to survive above all else.

"You too," Wedge replied.

"Good luck," Hobbie added.

Kal and Luke were about to leave the two, but Kal stopped and turned to Hobbie. "Wait, are there enough ships for all the pilots?" she asked. Hobbie shook his head. There never are. "Use mine. It's the red and white JM in the main hangar. She's got quite a kick and we can use all the ships we can get. Gray's already there. He can help with shooting."

Hobbie nodded and smiled. "Stay safe. Please."

The group was outfitted with jungle fatigues and packs and standard comlinks. The strike team was issued more, such as weaponry and explosives, but everyone for the command crew brought their own weaponry to the table. Underneath the camouflage tunic, Kal continued to wear her clothing from Tatooine, except the coat. Trudging around on the jungle floor of Endor would be a picnic after the desert and she needed to stay cool.

As the Imperial shuttle was being prepped, Kal found herself in one of the hangar bays with Luke trailing behind her. She hadn't said anything to him once they had been outfitted for their mission. While confused, he continued holding her hand, knowing she had something on her mind.

Kal paused once she saw Zeb, the Lasat spectre of the _Ghost_ , kneeling in front of a young boy with green hair in front of the ship that had brought her to the rebellion in the first place.

Luke gently squeezed her hand and asked, "Are you alright?"

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, I just. . . I need to say goodbye and good luck to some old friends. Just in case."

"I'm right here with you." She appreciated it.

She took a deep breath and continued moving forward with Luke by her side. "Miss me, ugly?" she asked with just enough sass to tease the Lasat once she was close enough.

The Lasat groaned as he picked up the kid and stood to face Kal. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I missed having Jedi around," he retorted gruffly. "You've met Jacen, right?"

Kal brought her free hand to her hip. "How could I not? His dad instilled some life lessons into me once or twice. Just wish he was around to know him. Zeb, this is Luke. Luke, meet Garazeb Orrelios, one of the spectres of the _Ghost_."

Zeb eyed the blond man up and down and looked back to Kal. "Weren't all Jedi like wiped out or something? You're all practically oozing out of the frameworks now." Kal shrugged. "Well, it's good to meet you. Any friend of Kal's is a friend of ours. You're probably here to see Hera and Sabine, right? Take the little devil to her."

Zeb immediately pawned little Jacen Syndulla off into Kal's arms. "I hate you sometimes," she told him as the toddler squirmed in her arms. "Good luck out there, alright?"

"You too, kid." Zeb playfully punched her on the shoulder and left them to it to go get full for the ship.

Kal looked at the green-haired kid in her arms who was smiling at her. If she did her math correctly, Jacen was about four years old. He wasn't much of a talker without his mother around. "Let's get you to your mom." Kal and Luke boarded the _Ghost_. She smiled at the familiar cargo bay. "I don't think I've told you the story of how I met the _Ghost_ crew. If we make it out of this alive, maybe I'll get around to it."

Luke smiled at her. "I'd like that."

"Hera!" she called out. "Found your kid wandering around a cache of explosives!"

"You what?" she heard the Twi'lek captain exclaim from deeper in the ship. "I'm going to kill Zeb!" Captain Syndulla came running into the cargo bay with Chopper at her heels. She stopped at the sight of Kal's smirk. "Scratch that. I'm going to kill you." Chopper beeped in amusement.

"Hi, mama!" Jacen said while waving excitedly.

Hera brought Kal and Jacen into a hug. "It's good to see you, Kal. What brings you here?"

Pulling out of the hug, Kal handed her the kid. "I wanted to wish you all good luck before the battle. May the Force be with you, Hera."

"And you, Kal." Her gaze drifted to the man beside Kal. "You must be Luke Skywalker."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. He held out his hand which Hera happily shook. "You're Captain Syndulla. I've heard a lot about Phoenix Squadron. They'll be lucky to have you flying out there."

"As long as you make sure the shield is down, we'll do our part." Hera turned to Kal. "I'll go get Sabine."

Luke and Kal watched the freighter captain walk away. "She seems nice," Luke said off-handedly.

"She is," Kal replied with a small nod. "Loves taking in strays."

"Were you a stray?"

"You can say that."

Sabine came rushing into the cargo bay without her helmet on, her hair purple and cut short. "Kal, it's so good to see you!" Sabine greeted as she wrapped her arms around the former bounty hunter. "Everything is about to get a heck of a lot crazier." Sabine pulled away and grinned at Luke. "You both look like you just went through hell."

"Well, we did bust Han out of Jabba's Palace," Kal told her.

"That'll do it." Sabine and Kal chuckled. "So, what do you say about all of us going out once we blow up this second Death Star? I'd say we all deserve it."

"Assuming we can get away, definitely," Kal conceded. Kal didn't say it in front of Luke, but she knew why Sabine was insistent on a night. Sabine, more than anyone, believed Ezra to still be alive somewhere in the galaxy. The moment things calmed down and the rebellion was no longer needed, she intended to go find him. But she didn't know where it would take her.

"Fantastic. You better get going, though. Rex left not too long ago to be issued his equipment for taking down the shield generator."

Kal's eyebrows furrowed together. "Rex is part of the strike team?"

Sabine nodded. "He was one of the first to volunteer. Between Hera, Zeb, and I being on the _Ghost_ , all gunner positions are taken and Chopper is a good copilot. And let's just say he wanted to be on the ground." Sabine gave her a sincere look. Rex was always better with a blaster and taking the fight to the enemy.

"Thanks, Sabine. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you." Sabine gave her a quick hug and nodded to Luke who returned it with a smile.

Kal grabbed Luke's hand. "Come on." She dragged him out of the ship and to the hangar bay where the shuttle _Tydirium_ was located. Outside it were rebels securing their weapons and gear. Kal stopped a short distance away and called out, "Rex!" She waved the old clone down and watched him walk over to her and Luke. With Rex in front of her, she felt giddy. "I think it's high time you two met."

Rex looked at her strangely. "You look exactly like your father always did when he was being devious," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kal snorted. "My father? Devious?"

If anyone alive still knew Obi-Wan's tendencies, it was Rex. "General Kenobi was a sly fellow," Rex explained. "It always surprised people to find that the great respected Jedi General had quite a sense of humor."

Instead of replying to him, Kal turned to Luke. "This is Commander Rex," she introduced. "He's one of the few clones left from the Clone War and served as a Captain in the 501st Legion under Commander Ahsoka Tano and General Anakin Skywalker."

Luke's face dropped, completely shocked to meet yet another person who knew his father. He had gone years without knowing anything concrete about him and now he stood in front of someone who would've known Anakin Skywalker far better than anyone alive. "What, really?" he asked.

Rex didn't quite see the significance of meeting the young man in front of him, but he went along with it, knowing Kal probably had a good reason. "Yes. General Skywalker was one of the finest Jedi I had ever met. He cared about us clones in a way most of the Republic didn't. I trusted him with my life on more than one occasion. What's your name, kid?"

Kal was practically bursting with giddiness and excitement. "I feel like a child opening a present." She gestured to Luke while looking at Rex. "Rex, meet Luke Skywalker."

"Come again?" Rex blurted. He stared at Luke for a few moments. Kal's devious expression that had initially made him skeptical made more sense. He snapped his head back to Kal, another epiphany coming to light. "The senator! I knew they were close. Fives thought I was making things up, but I'm right, aren't I?"

Chuckling and knowing what Rex meant, Kal replied, "Yes, Rex."

"Haha!" Rex clapped Luke on the shoulder. "It was an honor to serve under your father. From what I've heard, you're taking after him in many ways. We couldn't have been led by a better Jedi. . . Well, except perhaps General Kenobi."

Kal scoffed and shook her head. "Don't butter me up, Rex. We both know you preferred Anakin's love for breaking the rules."

Rex laughed loudly and looked back at Luke. "Kid, there are so many stories I need to tell you about him." Luke couldn't wait to hear every single one.

But there were other things they had to attend to first. "That can wait," Kal cut in. "We better get on board. You ready to bust some bucketheads?"

"As long as the plan doesn't involve any falling." Kal and Luke looked at the clone strangely. Rex tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. "It's just. . . a lot of General Skywalker's plans involved falling. I can tell you all about it later."

Kal and Luke were the first in the cockpit of the stolen shuttle. Before moving to start the ship up, Luke wrapped his arms around Kal, holding her close, and whispered, "Thank you. Everyone is telling me I need to defeat him, and I know I can't do it. But you introduced me to someone who knew him, actually knew him. Thank you. I know there's good in him. I know it."

"I believe you," Kal responded, setting her head on his shoulder. "You'll find a way to prove it. We should probably start up the ship before Han comes in and gives us grief." She felt the grumbling in his chest as he chuckled.

Luke pulled away and set a kiss on her temple. "Wouldn't want that." He sat down in the seat behind the pilot seat and Kal sat behind him, both getting to work on the control panel to start the ship.

Chewie trudged in, bending awkwardly down to not hit his head on anything. He was followed by Artoo and Threepio who were bickering, as per usual. The Wookiee sat in the copilot seat, staring at the Imperial controls and trying to make sense of them.

Less than a minute later, Han walked in. "You got her warmed?" Han asked as he took his seat.

"Yeah, she's comin' up," Luke replied.

Chewie growled which Kal smiled at. "No," Han said. "I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie."

Leia then entered. She noticed Han looking out the window at the _Millennium Falcon_ sadly, so she nudged him gently with a playful smile. "Hey, are you awake?" Leia teased.

"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling, like I'm never gonna see her again." Chewie stopped what he was doing and looked at the _Falcon_ with longing.

Leia put a hand on Han's shoulder. "Come on, General, let's move," she said softly.

Han snapped out of his stupor, remembering the mission they had to pull off. "Right. Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?"

"All set," Luke said.

"Here we go again," Threepio muttered in his seat next to Kal's with Artoo sitting in the aisle.

"All right, hang on," Han warned. The ship lifted off and left the main docking bay of the Headquarters Frigate and zoomed into the darkness of space. The stars streamed together as the stolen Imperial shuttle entered hyperspace.

When we finally dropped out of hyperspace, the new Death Star was in plain sight and filled everyone with a sense of dread and anxiety. A command ship was the sole defense with the under-construction battle station.

"If they don't go for this, we're going to have to get out of here pretty quick, Chewie," Han said. Chewie gave him a small growl in agreement.

A voice echoed through the comm device, "We have you on our screen now. Please identify."

Han pressed the button on the dash and replied, "Shuttle _Tydirium_ , requesting deactivation of the deflector shield." At least Han sort of knew what he was doing because of his time as an Imperial. While he hadn't quite been good at it then, he still remembered some useful things like protocol.

"Shuttle _Tydirium_ , transmit the clearance code for shield passage," the Imp ordered.

"Transmission commencing." Han transmitted the code for the shuttle.

"Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid," Leia told the group, not helping anyone's fears. While she had a point, she didn't need to say it out loud.

"It'll work," Han reassured, glancing back at her with a grin. "It'll work."

Meanwhile, Luke and Kal were still as stone, staring at the command ship. "Kal, do you feel that?" he asked.

"Yes, I do," she answered. They could feel the eery cold and anger radiating from the destroyer. It could only be one person's Force-signature: Vader's.

"What are you two blabbering about?" Han asked, turning to look at them.

"Vader's on that ship," Luke explained.

Han shook his head and turned back around. "Now, don't get jittery. There are a lot of command ships." Kal wondered, with everything Han had seen, if the former smuggler would ever come to terms with the fact that the Force was real and a gateway to many incredible things. Chewie huffed. "Keep your distance though, Chewie, but don't look like you're trying to keep your distance." Chewie then gave him a growl with attitude. "I don't know, fly casual." Kal rolled her eyes at his behavior and wording.

"Shuttle Tydirium, what is your cargo and destination?" an Imp asked through the comm. The voice was different than the one who had initially greeted them. Kal sensed something was wrong.

"Parts and technical crew; forest moon," Han answered, lying his ass off.

"I'm endangering the mission," Luke muttered, his eyes wide. "I shouldn't have come."

Kal leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Luke, calm your mind. If he can sense you, it's because you're anxious. You need to relax."

"Come on, let's keep a little optimism here," Han added. When they continued to get no Imperial response, it only worsened their fears. "They're not going for it, Chewie."

Just when Han was about to begin changing their course, they got a response. "Shuttle _Tydirium_ , deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course." Everyone couldn't help but let out varying sighs of relief, but something still didn't sit right in the minds of Luke and Kal. They knew Vader had sensed them, or at least had sensed Luke. But the Sith Lord hadn't done anything. Why?

Han donned his signature smug grin. "I told you it was gonna work," he gloated. "No problem." Neither Kal nor Luke were buying it.

But the shuttle continued forward, flying down to the forest moon of Endor.


	35. Inconspicuous

4 ABY

The rebel contingent made its way through the forest up a steep trail. Han and Leia led the way, followed closely by Kal, Luke, and Chewie then the strike-team squad and Artoo and Threepio trailing behind. The forest terrain reminded Kal of her time spent on Alsakan with Boba. She briefly wondered how he would fare with his armor in the thick bushes and trees.

At the top of the trail, Han and Leia dropped down to the forest floor, followed closely by Chewie, Luke, and Kal. Down below them were two scout troopers that the group was able to spot.

"Should we try and go around?" Leia suggested.

"It'd take time," Luke replied.

"This whole party would be for nothing if they see us," Han pointed out. Chewie let out a low growl.

"I'll take care of it," Kal chipped in. She already had a plan to deal with them, too.

Han turned to look over at Kal who rested on the other side of Luke and raised his eyebrows. "By yourself? No. Chewie and I'll come with you." He then focused on Luke and Leia. "We'll handle it. You two stay here."

"Quietly," Luke warned. He had the utmost faith in Kal's stealth abilities but none for Han or Chewie. The two had a habit of blasting first and discretion second. "There might be more of them out there."

With a cheeky grin, Han replied, "Hey, it's me."

"That's why I'm going," Kal quickly added. Han couldn't be trusted doing something as simple as grocery shopping without getting into trouble. Chewie usually helped with the situations, but he was just as loud.

Kal led the way down the hill to surround the scout troopers, but as she was about to come out of her temporary hiding spot to attack the nearest Imp next to a speeder, Han stepped on a twig when going for his. Han's trooper turned and knocked Han to the ground which caused Han's blaster to go off. The trooper then turned towards the one closer to Kal and yelled, "Behind you!" upon seeing her stepping out from the treeline behind his partner.

The trooper tried to turn around but Kal was faster. She picked his body up with the Force and snapped his neck. Han dealt with the other one by tossing him against the nearest tree.

Luke and Leia burst out of the bushes. Leia pointed a short distance away, just out of Kal's sight, and yelled, "Over there! Two more of them!"

Kal's ears picked up on the distinct sound of speeders starting up and hopped on the one next to her. Leia had the same idea and hurried to get on the other one, completely ignoring Luke. The women started up the speeders and flew after the Imps, Luke jumping onto the Kal's speeder as she sped past him.

"Almost missed it," Kal teased as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Couldn't imagine being anywhere else," Luke told her. Kal laughed as they flew through the trees next to Leia and caught up to the Imperial troopers. "Quick, jam their comlinks." Kal flicked the center switch. The trees and bushes blended together as the rebels and Imps sped through the forest in a close chase. The two scout troopers flew over a fallen log and Kal and Leia moved under it, ducking their heads as they went. "Move closer. Get alongside that one."

Kal pulled up alongside the trailing trooper while Leia stayed focused on the other one. The trooper noticed the two pull up beside him and hit them with his speeder then narrowly avoided hitting a tree. After a few hits, Luke jumped onto the trooper's speeder and shoved him off, making the Imp hit a tree as he fell. Luke gained control of the speeder quickly and the three rebels focused their attention on the remaining Imp.

They didn't notice the two new troopers come up behind them until they began shooting. Kal narrowly missed a shot, but Luke's speeder was hit. Kal immediately dropped back, followed closely by Luke who had told Leia to keep following the Imperial ahead. Leia didn't particularly like the idea of splitting up on terrain they were unfamiliar with but listened regardless.

While Luke had dropped back far enough to be able to shoot at the two newcomers, Kal had stopped beside the one on the left, timing it so she could hop onto his speeder. The trooper fought back better than the one Luke had to deal with when changing speeders and was forced to veer off to the left while Luke fired at the other one who then steered right.

The trooper threw his elbow back, hitting Kal directly in the noise which only made her angry and her nose bloody. Managing to wrap her arm around the trooper's throat, she Forced pushed them off the speeder together, sending them tumbling to the hard ground below. Once on solid ground, Kal regained her footing quickly and unhooked her lightsaber as the trooper stood up. She sliced through him easily, the two pieces of his body hitting the ground with a few _thumps_.

Slowing her breathing, Kal took in deep breaths and put away her saber back under the camouflage poncho. Lost in an unknown forest filled with Imperials and unknown creatures couldn't possibly have been the worst thing in the world. She had been through worse, such as being choked and thrown like a ragdoll by Darth Vader on an ice planet.

Calming her mind, Kal reached out with the Force to search for the familiar Force signatures of Luke and Leia. For a brief moment, Kal lost focus as she remembered that Leia was Luke's twin sister. What a strange coincidence, but she could see it the more she thought about it. Bail Organa had been close friends with Padmé Amidala and Leia looked quite similar to Cattleya, Kal's mother and one of Padmé's handmaidens, handmaidens who were often chosen for their resemblance to the one who needed protection. While Kal's jaw was wider and her face longer, Kal and Leia had the same dark brown hair and eyes and a fair complexion. Kal wondered what would have happened had either Cattleya or Padmé lived. Would they have grown up as sisters?

Kal shook the distracting thoughts from her mind as she continued to reach out. It wasn't the time for sentimentality and thinking about what could have been. She had to find either Luke or Leia, preferably both but one was better than neither. Sensing one nearby, Kal began walking in its direction after tearing off her helmet and discarding it, not wanting the hassle of it anymore as she focused through the Force. The signature was too far to tell who it belonged to, but with the familiarity of it, Kal knew it could only be one of the Skywalker twins.

Trudging through the forest was not something Kal deemed as a fun time. Until she heard blaster fire and an explosion. Kal took off running towards the sound and burst through the bushes to find smoke and a blaster pointed at her. Kal fell back to avoid being shot then slipped on the soft soil and hit the ground with a groan.

"Kal? Oh, Kal!" Leia quickly put her blaster away once she recognized the woman. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were another trooper." Leia extended her hand which Kal gratefully took, letting the smaller woman help her up.

Kal rolled her neck and shoulders, trying to ease the tension and soreness in her muscles. "It's my fault," Kal said, waving her hand. "I heard shooting and an explosion, so I hurried over. Shouldn't have done that, but I thought maybe you or Luke were in trouble."

"It's alright." Leia gave her a small smile. "Where is Luke?"

Kal's face pinched together as she shook her head. "I haven't seen him since we got separated."

"Neither have I." A sound came from behind Leia and both women turned to look at a small, furry, brown creature. At Kal's confused expression, Leia explained, "A local. I think they're called Ewoks. This one actually helped me out with the troopers. He's a little jittery, so you might want to take it slow."

Kal immediately knew the perfect way to gain some trust: food. As the Ewok Wicket drew closer to them, tentatively eyeing the new person, Kal held out a small portion of the rations from her belt with a small smile. Wicket happily took it and ate it, far more relaxed than he had been a moment ago.

"That's exactly what I did," Leia pointed out. "Come on. We should probably get out of here before more troopers arrive." Kal and Leia began walking in one direction, but Wicket grabbed Leia's hand and said something in his language. He pointed in the opposite direction they were originally planning on heading and started walking, expecting them to follow. Leia and Kal glanced at each other. Kal shrugged and began walking, following the sentient bear creature. Leia then followed as well. As a local, the Wicket definitely knew a safer route than anything Kal or Leia would try.

* * *

Luke eventually made his way back to Han's last known position, a lot better at judging long distances than the other two due to his time spent lost in the deserts and canyons of Tatooine and the snow dunes of Hoth. The first one to spot Luke through the trees was Commander Rex, who frowned at Luke's lack of companions.

Rex was the first of the strike team to step out of the trees, no longer needing to hide as they knew him as a friend. "Where's Kal?" Rex quickly asked. "And the princess?"

Luke frowned at the questions, confused for a moment. "They're not here?" Han joined Luke, grinning at first but realizing what Rex had also noticed. "They didn't come back?"

"I thought they were with you," Han said.

"We got separated," Luke explained. "We better go look for them."

Han turned to Rex, the highest-ranking member of the strike team, and ordered, "Take the squad ahead. We'll meet at the shield generator at 0300."

"Yes, sir," Rex replied. He immediately began shouting orders to the others.

Luke looked to the droids. "Come on, Artoo, we'll need your scanner."

"Don't worry, Master Luke," Threepio reassured from beside the astromech droid. "We know what to do." Luke wanted to grumble at Threepio's continued use of 'master' but decided to ignore as per usual. He had more important things to focus on.

The small band traveled through the thick foliage of the forest, on a quest to find their missing loved ones. They weren't quite as missing or in danger as the men believed. They were perfectly safe in the Ewok camp.

As they searched the forest, they made their way to the last known location of both women. Where Kal had become separated, they found a dead stormtrooper and a discarded helmet. Luke couldn't sense her Force signature anywhere close by, so they continued forward, hoping Leia and Kal had found each other.

Once they drew closer to Leia's last known position, Luke found two wrecked speeders and another helmet on the ground. Luke picked it up, knowing it was Leia's. Han started calling Luke's name, so the Jedi returned to his friends, jogging through the bushes. Han and Chewie were looking at a totaled speeder. "There are two more wrecked speeders back there," Luke told them. "And I found this." He tossed Han Leia's helmet.

From his spot next to Artoo, Threepio relayed, "I'm afraid Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia or Mistress Kaleena."

"I hope they're alright," Han said quietly. Chewie then hollered, gathering everyone's attention. "What, Chewie?" The Wookiee started walking away. "What, Chewie?" Han started following him, followed by Luke, Threepio, and Artoo.

They followed the old Wookiee into a small clearing where a dead animal hung from a small tree. Its presence didn't sit right with Luke, having grown up on a planet filled with scavengers. As Chewie drew closer to it, Luke yelled, "Wait, no, Chewie! No, don't!" But Chewie had already grabbed the animal carcass.

The trap had been sprung. A net encased the group, lifting them off the ground and into each other. "Nice work," Han muttered sarcastically. "Great, Chewie! Great. Always thinking with your stomach."

"Will you take it easy?" Luke requested, his arms stuck in the holes of the net making him unable to move. "Let's just figure out a way to get out of this thing! Han, can you reach my lightsaber?" His lightsaber hung from his belt, sticking out of the net.

"Yeah, sure!" Despite Han's exasperation and agitation, he complied with the request and attempted to reach the ancient weapon. Luke couldn't help but think that if Kal and Leia were there, they would've kept them from a ridiculous situation like the one they had gotten into. The women often got themselves into interesting situations, but the men got themselves into ridiculous situations.

While Han tried to get to the lightsaber, Artoo made quick work of slicing through the net with his saw. The group fell onto the hard ground, each moaning in pain. They began sitting up before noticing small creatures come out from the bushes brandishing spears and bows. Han and Luke looked on in amusement. The men then tried to get up but were stopped by the Ewoks pointing the spears and bows at them.

"Hey, point that thing someplace else," Han said grumpily to the black and white Ewok in front of him, pushing aside the weapon pointed at his face. The Ewok simply did it again which made Han grab the stick and pull out his blaster.

Luke quickly intervened, grabbing Han's forearm to keep him from making the situation worse. "Han, don't," Luke ordered. "It'll be alright." Han reluctantly let go of the Ewok's spear and the Ewoks gathered closer. Han's blaster was taken away, Luke handed them his lightsaber, and the creatures tried to take Chewie's bowcaster. "Chewie, give them your crossbow." Chewie let them have it.

"Oh, my head," Threepio complained as he sat up. The Ewoks gasped when confronted with the golden protocol droid. "Oh, my goodness." Threepio looked around at the locals and started speaking in their language. The Ewoks then began to bow and hum a chant in reverence of the droid.

Han and Luke glanced around and Threepio said something else in the language. "Do you understand what they're saying?" Luke asked.

"Oh, yes, Master Luke!" Threepio exclaimed excitedly, finally happy to have someone interested in his programming. "Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of commun-"

Han interrupted the droid before he could continue. "What are you telling them?" Han questioned.

"Hello, I think." The uncertainty didn't sit well with the humans or the Wookiee. "I could be mistaken. They're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I am some sort of god."

Han scoffed, unamused. "Well, why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?"

"I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper," Threepio replied, not sensing the former smuggler's sass. Luke tried to keep his laughter contained by covering his mouth and looking away.

Han's face contorted to frustration, glaring at the droid. "Proper?"

"It is against my programming to impersonate a deity."

Luke noticed Han's mood change before the others did. "Why, you-" Han began but cut himself off as he moved towards Threepio, wanting to throttle the droid. Luke moved to stop him, but both men stopped completely when the Ewoks sensed hostility and pointed their spears at him. Han brought his hands up in surrender in an effort to placate the local species. "My mistake. He's an old friend of mine."

Han's pathetic attempt to diffuse the situation he got himself into ended with their group, minus Threepio, being tied to wooden poles by vines and carried through the forest to their village. Threepio was given a chair to be carried in. Han, Chewie, and Luke hoped Kal and Leia were alright and not tied up like they were.

Once they arrived in the village, Ewoks blew horns to announce their arrival and brought the prisoners to what seemed like the center of the village. Female and young Ewoks peeked out from their huts to see what was going on as the prisoners were placed around the fire pit with Han directly above it. Threepio was placed on an elevated area a few feet away to oversee the activities.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Han said. Threepio spoke to the chief who then replied to the droid, holding Luke's lightsaber. Han noticed and spoke directly to Threepio. "What did he say?"

"I'm rather embarrassed, General Solo," Threepio began, "but it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor."

Ewoks began beating drums and they all turned to see Kal and Leia emerge from a large hut, both wearing dresses. Leia's was a light tan while Kal's was darker, but otherwise, both were calf-length and made from hides. They had both let their hair flow free as well, but Leia kept some of it braided. Han and Luke both smiled and called out the women's names, relieved to see them alive and well. The women then tried to move closer, but Ewoks blocked their path with raised spears, so they backed away.

"Your Royal Highness and Mistress Kaleena," Threepio greeted.

Kal looked far more amused at the situation than the worried Leia. Kal could sense what Luke could sense: the Ewoks meant no true harm and could be reasoned with without resorting to violence. Luke could see the amusement in her eyes from where the Ewoks had set him next to Chewie and waved with his tied up hand which Kal smiled at.

Leia, on the other hand, looked at the Ewoks and tried to communicate. "But these are our friends," Leia said. "Threepio, tell them they must be set free."

Threepio relayed the message to the chief, but the chief and the Ewoks around him shook their heads. Ewoks piled more firewood under Han. "Somehow, I got the feeling that didn't help us very much," Han said cynically.

"Threepio, tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll become angry and use your magic," Luke ordered the droid. Kal knew his plan right away. A little Force power display could be all they needed to do to get out of the situation.

"But Master Luke, what magic?" Threepio asked. "I couldn't possibly-"

"Just tell them," Luke said.

Threepio told the tribe, shocking them with the information for a brief moment, but they then didn't believe him and continued working. "You see, Master Luke, they didn't believe me. Just as I said they wouldn't." Luke ignored him and got to work focusing on lifting the chair into the air. the effect was immediate. Ewoks scattered and Threepio panicked. The chief began yelling orders to the Ewoks who started releasing their prisoners.

Luke set Threepio back on the ground and Leia and Kal were free to rush forward, embracing the men they loved. Kal wrapped her arms around Luke's neck, and he wrapped his around her waist, holding her close. "Are you alright?" Luke asked into her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Kal answered with a light laugh. She pulled back enough to look at him. "I've eaten a lot of strange things in my travels, but I don't think I'm quite ready for human flesh." Luke laughed and placed a quick kiss on her lips before the two joined Leia, Han, and Chewie.

"Thanks, Threepio," Luke told the protocol droid.

If a droid could have facial expressions, Threepio would be visibly in shock. "I never knew I had it in me."

Kal shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes even droids could be dumb. She then looked at her friends. "I wonder what they'll do for dinner know. I'm actually kind of hungry," Kal told them with a cheeky grin.

"Well, I hope you don't mean meat, sister, 'cause I think I'm good without any for a few days after being prepped to be served to you on a platter," Han retorted with as much sass as he could muster. "And where the hell did you two get dresses from?"

"The Ewoks had them on hand," Leia replied. "Either the Ewoks made them or they're from someone who had been stranded here."

Han didn't particularly like that answer. "I wonder if they were digested."

* * *

Hours later, the small band of rebels and Jedi were in the large hut with the Ewok tribe. Threepio stood by the fire, regaling the story of their adventures to the Ewoks, including sound effects. Leia and Han cuddled together as they listened, and one small Ewok hugged Han's leg. Luke and Kal had started off by listening to the golden droid but ducked out to talk alone. The thought of confronting Vader weighed heavily on Luke's mind, and Kal could sense every second of it. It had only increased when they sensed Vader's presence on the moon.

Luke leaned on the railing of the bridge just outside the hut and Kal ran her hand soothingly over his back. She wanted to reach out through the Force to help calm him and his mind like she had done before on Tatooine but knew she shouldn't. There were some things people couldn't will away.

"Do you think we'll win?" Luke finally asked, eyes flicking over to Kal but not turning to face her.

Her hand stopped and she leaned on the railing beside him, their shoulders brushing together. "I do," she replied with complete conviction. "I know it won't be easy, but I can sense an end in sight and good things in the near future." Kal chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know what exactly. I've never been good with Force premonitions."

"All I sense is pain and conflict." Luke felt her eyes on him, so he continued as he stared down at the forest below. "I want to remain hopeful and optimistic. I want to focus on the good. For some reason, I can't. How can I go on to bring good to the galaxy when I'm conflicted?"

"No person is without struggle, Luke," Kal reassured. "It's normal. I'd be more concerned if you weren't conflicted about seeing your father." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll be right there with you. Everyone in that hut is willing to help with anything you need."

Luke shook his head. "I can't ask that of you." He turned to look at Kal. "I can't ask that of any of you. The Emperor will use anything he can to get me. I don't know what he wants, but I know what he'll be willing to do. I want all of you safe more than anything. I'd give my life for you."

"Don't." Kal set her jaw and looked him straight in the eyes, firm as stone. It surprised him, to say the least. "We're all here because we're willing to sacrifice ourselves for the betterment of the galaxy, and that means the destruction of the Empire. Don't, even for one second, ever think about throwing that away. That is not what a Jedi would do. They are selfless and just. Be better than the Emperor. Don't make the same mistakes your father did. He fell to the Dark Side and let the whole galaxy fall into a pit of despair with the hope of saving his wife. I don't care if I die ten times over as long as the Empire doesn't win. Do you understand?"

With a firm nod, Luke stood tall and replied, "I do." He took her hands in his. "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart."

"And I love you from this life to the next."


	36. Battle of Endor

4 ABY

Hiding her Force signature was something Kal had been teaching herself to do for the past few months. It wasn't a difficult ability. It only took practice. She hadn't felt the need to use the ability until she found herself following Luke through the forest after his departure from the group and his talk with Leia. Kal had discarded her rebel-issued gear and the Ewok dress in one of the huts and resigned herself to marching through the forest in her sand-colored cropped-top and pants to keep a watchful eye on Luke and help him whether he wanted it or not. With no camouflage to help conceal her in the dark forest, Kal had to be extra careful to avoid being caught when Luke did.

As Luke was brought before Darth Vader, having willingly let himself be caught by the Imperials, Kal climbed aboard the shuttle on the landing platform and hid in the weapons storage locker. She was plunged into pure darkness.

Folding her legs beneath her, Kal allowed herself to enter a meditative trance to preserve her energy and prayed Han, Leia, and Chewie could knock out the shield generator. But as she meditated, Kal sensed deception and death. Something in the Force felt wrong, something regarding their mission. A sense of dread and unease filled her.

Why would Vader and the Emperor be at the new, under-construction Death Star? They would only do so if they had complete faith in their defenses. But with the hole in the Death Star and the shield generator being on Endor and only one Star Destroyer orbiting the battle station, none of it sat right with her and none of it added up. Unless the Empire knew about the rebel intel. They were being led into a trap. They must've had their fleet on standby.

Kal wanted to curse aloud, but that would draw attention to her position, so she remained tranquil and hidden. She had no way to communicate with the Rebel Fleet and neither did Han and his team. But if she could get onto the Death Star, she might be able to disrupt the Empire's communications with the fleet which could help the Rebel Fleet once they arrived. Watching over Luke couldn't be her priority even if it was her initial mission.

She could feel Luke and Vader board the transport and remained as calm and collected as possible as she hid. Luke was held in the passenger area just outside of the locker she was in. Other than the command crew in the cockpit, the shuttle was dead silent for the duration of the flight up to the second Death Star, leaving Kal in agony knowing Luke was at the mercy of a Sith Lord just outside of her reach. But keeping her concentration was key to make sure neither Luke nor Vader, especially Vader, could sense her presence a few meters away.

When the shuttle docked on the Death Star II, Kal waited onboard until she could feel no one in her general vicinity. After nicking a few thermal detonators, removing herself from the shuttle's weapons storage locker, and leaving the shuttle, she hurried across the hangar bay before another team of Imperials could pass through.

The second Death Star had almost exactly the same layout as the first one and far fewer Imperials walking around the halls due to a majority of them focusing on building the battle station. Kal couldn't imagine being part of such a lifestyle that required a precise schedule down to the moment you were allowed to go to the refresher. The thought of being a part of any overly strict military made her want to throw up. Oh, wait, that wasn't what was making her want to vomit. She didn't even know why the feeling of nausea was passing over her.

She had to stay focused. Kal kept to side halls and alcoves to stay hidden, with the occasional use of the Force to draw the attention of an Imperial away from her and the direction she was headed.

Once at the communication station, Kal knocked and leaned on the side of the doorway to wait for them to answer. It would have been easy to simply open the hatch herself, but she didn't feel like it.

The door slid open and Kal slyly smiled and waved at the Imperial officer who opened it for her. "Hello there." Lifting her leg, she kicked him hard against the chest, throwing him back into the room.

The door closed, leaving the three Imperials alone with her.

Sometimes she missed wearing the armor around her left arm as it had made her hits more powerful without having to use the Force, but since she began using the Force daily, it had become a reflex to knock out an Imp with a single punch.

With all three Imperials on the floor and unconscious, Kal got to work with disrupting the communication lines between the battle station and the Imperial Fleet which, based on the comm logs, had just made their presence known to the Rebel Fleet who had exited hyperspace. The shield was still up, however, which was the whole reason Kal was even in the communication center.

Disabling the comms was only the first step. The second step was blowing it up so no one could re-enable them once she had left. She had to prepare to run.

Just outside the door, Kal armed the thermal detonators she had grabbed from the shuttle, gently rolled them into the room, closed the door, then ran down the hall, the explosions going off once she was a short distance away. She stumbled while running, the vibrations of the explosion making her fumble.

Regaining her balance at a fork in the halls, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up; it was the Force warning her. She knew why. Two squads were heading her way. One from either direction.

Kal had three options: fight, surrender, or both. Fight and win, give up, or fight and surrender if no other option.

She didn't need to think about it.

Unclipping the lightsaber dangling from her thigh, Kal ignited the cyan blade and entered the opening stance of Soresu, her left arm outstretched and lightsaber readied at eye level.

The first squad entered her eyesight and began shooting at her. Swiftly dodging and deflecting the blaster bolts, Kal expertly swung the plasma blade. The simple figure-eight allowed for an elaborate, impervious defense even as the second squad from the opposite hall arrived on the scene.

Stormtroopers fell one by one to their own blaster fire and the occasional Force push from the Jedi. Then the remaining troopers slowly stopped firing and parted to clear a path towards her.

Coming towards her from both directions were Emperor's Royal Guard members, dressed head to toe in bright red and carrying Force pikes. Once at the front of the stormtroopers, the four guardsmen readied their weapons.

 _Could I?_ she thought briefly.

 _Lay down your weapon, Kaleena_ , a voice said through the Force. Obi-Wan. _There is no shame in surrender_.

Gritting her teeth, Kal sheathed her blade and let the hilt drop to the floor. Metal clattered against metal and the guards moved in slowly, prepared for a potential trick. But Kal simply raised her hands behind her head and allowed them to push her to her knees and restrain her with basic restraints. She noted how they didn't bother with stun cuffs.

"Your Majesty, we have apprehended the Jedi," one of the guards relayed to Emperor Palpatine.

"Good. Bring her to me."

Kal had never heard the Emperor's voice before. It sent a shudder down her spine. More fear threatened to course through her than when she had encountered Vader on Hoth. But the worst part of it all: she had to see Luke in chains before the Emperor while she was powerless to stop it.

The Red Guard escorted her through the halls and up a lift to the throne room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Emperor Palpatine was taunting Luke. "Come, boy," he told the young Jedi. "See for yourself." Luke walked tentatively to the window beside the throne the Sith Lord sat on. He could see the fighting. "From here, you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant rebellion." Luke turned around, eyeing the lightsaber that sat on Palpatine's throne, anger and desperation coursing through him. The Rebel Fleet wouldn't last long against the Imperial Fleet. And it Palpatine's recent communication was anything to go by, Kal had been taken as a prisoner.

The Emperor sensed his torment and smiled, patting the lightsaber at his side. "You want this, don't you? The hate is swelling in you now," he goaded. "Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger." Luke turned back to the window. "With each passing moment, you make yourself more my servant."

Luke whipped back around. "No," he said, resolved in his decision.

"It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine."

The elevator lift door slid open, drawing the attention of the Emperor, Darth Vader, and Luke. In walked two Red Guards with Kal between them. Three walked across the bridge and up the stairs before the guards forced Kal onto her knees once again. She kept her steely gaze downcast and her expression blank, continuing to shield herself with the Force. Her thoughts would not be used against her again.

One of the guards handed Kal's lightsaber to Darth Vader who passed it along to the emperor. Palpatine twisted the weapon in his hands before ordering, "Leave us." The Emperor's Royal Guards left the throne room once again, leaving the Sith to deal with the Jedi. Palpatine could sense Luke's mood shift through the Force the moment the young woman was brought in, but he couldn't sense anything from her. He realized quickly how she managed to sneak about the Death Star. Setting her lightsaber next to Luke's, Palpatine let his gaze rest on the woman then he used the Force to undo her restraints. "You won't need those."

The cuffs hit the floor by her feet. Kal's expression shifted to show the slightest bit of her confusion as she brought her gaze from the floor to the shriveled figure on the throne. She refused to look at Luke. She didn't need to see his worry when she could already feel it. Instead, she solely focused on the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious.

Palpatine smiled at her reaction. "You must be the daughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi and that insufferable handmaiden who liked thwarting assassination attempts." Her focus on her shielding technique flickered, and Palpatine sensed it. "Oh, yes, I remember her well. If only she wasn't so good at her job, then I wouldn't have had her killed."

Luke watched as her resolve began to break. Palpatine didn't even know her and he knew how to fracture her emotions. Kal slowly shook her head. "No. No. You-no," she mumbled, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as her heartbeat threatened to quicken.

Palpatine's glee grew at her bubbling rage. "Yes, use your anger. There is only one way to defeat me: give in. Your friends have already failed. Witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station." Palpatine pressed a button on his throne, activating the comlink. "Fire at will, Commander."

Luke and Kal watched as a beam of light shot out from the Death Star to the aerial battle, destroying a Rebel cruiser.

 _Wedge. Hobbie. Hera_. _Sabine_. _Zeb_.

"Your fleet has lost. And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentice. The Alliance will die. . . as will your friends. And family."

Kal's throat closed as she was lifted off the floor by the Force, her feet dangling a few inches above the cool metal as she brought her hands up to her throat, struggling to breathe. Luke's eyes were filled with rage and panic as they met Kal's. She shook her head, silently begging him not to react.

"I can feel your anger," Palpatine continued to taunt. "I am defenseless. Take your weapon! Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the dark side will be complete."

Luke's saber flew through the air into his outstretched hand. He ignited it and swung it towards the Emperor, but Vader blocked it with his own red blade. Having gotten what he wanted, Palpatine released his hold on Kal, tossing her away and letting her body drop to the floor as he cackled, watching the father and son duel.

"No, Luke," Kal mumbled as she struggled to her hands and knees, breathing heavily and watching Luke and Vader's lightsabers hit and parry. Luke then kicked Vader in the torso, knocking him down the stairs. Luke stood at the top.

The Emperor laughed. "Good. Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you."

Pausing, Luke remembered the training Kal, Yoda, and Obi-Wan tried so hard to instill in him. He turned off his lightsaber and relaxed, allowing the hate and anger to be free.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Vader said, taking steps back toward the stairs.

"I will not fight you, father," Luke replied.

Vader walked up the stairs to come face to face with Anakin Skywalker's son. "You are unwise to lower your defenses." Vader swung his blade and Luke quickly ignited his own once again to block the strikes.

Luke stayed on the defensive, refusing to strike against his father. Once he got an opening, Luke used the Force to flip up to the catwalk hanging overhead, Vader standing below him. "Your thoughts betray you, father. I feel the good in you. . . the conflict."

"There is no conflict."

"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now."

"You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny."

Vader threw his lightsaber, carving through the air to cut through the supports holding the walkway then returning to Vader's hand. Luke tumbled to the ground in a shower of sparks and rolled out of sight. Vader moved to find him.

The Emperor stood with a malevolent smile and looked to where he had discarded the young Kenobi. Kal lifted herself off the floor, glaring at the dark-cloaked figure walking towards her. "I sense your father's defiance in you," he told her, stopping in front of the stairs. "Too bad he's dead, too." She knew he was taunting her, mocking her, trying to make her angry. "And soon the young Skywalker will be turned or dead as well. Perhaps you and your child will join."

Kal barely had time to react before dodging a lightning blast from the maniacal old man. She rolled away, coming to a stop kneeling and angry. Reaching out with the Force, she called her saber to her, just in time to block another lightning strike. Sweat graced her forehead as she pushed back against the Force lightning with her blade. His power increased until the lightsaber was expelled from her grip, pushing her to the ground and the lightsaber out of her reach.

The Emperor laughed at the struggling woman. "You are strong in the Force but not strong enough."

With another lightning blast, Kal raised her hands absorbing his lightning as concentrated energy. The application of _tutaminis_ shattered her own energy to the point where she collapsed under the intensity, her vision blurred and unfocused.

One Jedi had momentarily been dealt with.

At the bottom of the stairs was Luke losing himself to the anger and hatred, rushing at his father who was forced on the defensive. Vader retreated to the bridge overlooking the elevator shaft. The Dark Lord fell to his knees, barely able to keep his lightsaber raised to block Luke's onslaught. Luke sliced Vader's right hand off as the Sith Lord had once done to him. The metal hand and lightsaber fell into the shaft below. Luke lowered the tip of his green lightsaber blade to level it at Vader's throat.

Emperor Palpatine descended the stairs, laughing and pleased. "Good!" he praised. Luke looked back to the Emperor and spotted Kal lying on the platform above. _What had he done?_ "Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny and take your father's place at my side!"

Luke looked away from Kal's body and down at his father's mechanical hand, then to his own gloved hand. _What was he doing?_ He was becoming like his father in the wrong way. Luke turned off his blade and stood tall. "Never." Luke tossed away the lightsaber hilt and walked forward, off the bridge with his eyes leveled at the Sith Lord. "I'll never turn to the dark side. You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

The Emperor's glee turned to rage. "So be it. . . Jedi. If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed." Palpatine raised his arm towards Luke. Lightning shot from the Emperor's hands, hitting Luke in the chest. Luke fell back and caught himself before he could fall into the shaft behind him. Vader struggled to his feet and moved to stand at his master's side.

Kal gasped in pain from where she rested, clutching her chest as it heaved violently.

"Young fool," the Emperor said. "Only now, at the end, do you understand." Another lightning assault hit the young Skywalker.

Behind the Sith Master and Apprentice, stood Kal who could feel every second of pain hitting Luke. A shockwave of Force energy reverberated through the air from her outstretched hands as she cried out, sending all the energy she had absorbed from the Emperor's lightning back towards Darth Sidious. The Emperor and Vader flew back.

Kal collapsed once again, completely drained and Luke fell to the floor, his body overcoming the pain he had been in. She stumbled down the stairs and over to him while the two Sith were stunned. She helped him sit up.

"What was that?" Luke asked, his voice breathy.

"I felt you in pain," she told him simply. She didn't quite understand either. Luke noticed the rising Emperor before she did and shoved Kal out of the way as he was hit with another blast of lightning.

"No, no," the Emperor said with his croaky voice. He turned up the powerful lightning shooting towards Luke while choking Kal through the Force.

Luke writhed on the floor in pain. "Father, please," he pleaded. "Help us."

Kal looked at the man who used to be Anakin Skywalker and sent out an image through the Force, unable to speak. She sent him an image she had seen from holo-recordings, an image of Padmé during one of her many speeches before the Senate during the Clone War. _Remember your wife. Remember Padmé_.

"Now, young Jedi, you will die."

Luke's screams filled the room and Kal felt it magnified through the Force as her sight began to darken.

Vader grabbed the Emperor from behind, lightning still pouring from Palpatine's hands and coursing through Vader's mechanical body. Vader, dismembered and hurt, held his master high over hid head and walked to the edge of the shaft. The cyborg hurled the Emperor's body into the abyss. Palpatine fell through the shaft and exploded, sending a rush of air up through the throne room. Vader collapsed onto the floor.

Anakin Skywalker had returned.

Luke and Kal pulled themselves up and crawled over to him, helping him away from the edge. The two young Jedi felt a warning through the Force. "We have to go," Luke said quietly. Kal collected their lightsabers as Luke helped his father off the floor.

Together, the three stumbled to the main docking bay as explosions rocked the battle station. The Alliance had done it. They had won. Imperial troops ran in all directions, confused and desperate to escape.

Kal and Luke dropped the former Jedi at the ramp of the Imperial shuttle they had arrived in, no longer able to carry him with their weakened bodies.

"Luke, help me take this mask off," Anakin requested quietly.

"But you'll die," Luke told him.

"Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes." Hesitantly, Luke fulfilled his father's request, removing the black mask. The dying many, hurt and scarred, smiled at the sight of his son before him. "Now go, my son. Leave me. Be a better father than I had been."

"No, you're coming with me," Luke said. "I can't leave you here. I've got to save you."

"You already have, Luke. You were right about me. Tell your sister. . . you were right." Anakin Skywalker had died.

A large explosion rocked the hangar bay. Kal and Luke lifted the body of Luke's father, dragging him up the ramp and into the shuttle.

Starting up the shuttle, Luke piloted while Kal copiloted the shuttle out of the hangar bay and away from the Death Star which exploded behind them. In front of them, members of the Rebel Fleet flew towards the Endor moon, away from the explosions and debris before the Death Star went supernova.

Once a safe distance away, Kal and Luke relaxed in their seats, utterly exhausted with the events of the day. Luke reached over the gap between the seats, holding out his hand. Kal gladly took it in hers. The Emperor had been defeated. The second Death Star was destroyed. Anakin Skywalker had been redeemed. They had lived.

* * *

Down below on the forest moon, Kal told Luke what consisted of a Jedi funeral. They put together a funeral pyre and placed his father's body on top, once again wearing his black mask and helmet. Luke set a torch on the stacked logs and stepped back as the pyre was lit. He stood at Kal's side, watching sadly as the flames rose and spread around Anakin.

Above them, fireworks exploded in the darkening sky, Rebel fighters zooming above the dark forest.

As the flames lessened in front of them, Luke's arm wrapped around Kal's waist and she set her head on his shoulder. "Part of me doesn't want to celebrate," he revealed quietly. "Not with. . ." Luke trailed off, watching the flames end in hot embers.

"I know." It seemed almost wrong to celebrate, but they had every right to. They were one step closer to defeating the Empire.

Kal thought over the events that had transpired, and her hand came to rest on her stomach. Both Palpatine and Anakin had said something interesting.

_Perhaps you and your child will join._

_B_ _e a better father than I had been._

Then her father's voice echoed through her mind once again. _You'll know_. Relaxing her mind and focusing her senses, she felt what they had all felt. Growing life.

She was pregnant.

Luke heard her quietly gasp and turned to Kal concerned. "What's wrong?"

A smile pulled at her lips and a single tear ran down her cheek. _How had she not noticed before?_ Her nausea and growing Force usage coupled with her sudden urges not to eat or drink certain things. "Palpatine threatened the death of me and my child. Then your father, he-he told you to be a better father than he had been." Kal looked at Luke, turning away from the dying fire. "I-I think, I think I'm pregnant."

For a moment, Luke froze. "You're-" He stared at her, processing the information until slowly but surely a smile spread across his face. "You're-I'm-we're-"

Kal nodded. "Yeah." Luke beamed and pulled Kal into a hug, holding her as tight as he could.

They were going to be parents.

* * *

After burying what remained of Darth Vader's armor, Kal and Luke made their way back to the Ewok camp they had left, hand in hand. A huge bonfire was the centerpiece of the Rebels and Ewoks celebrating their victories. Humans, aliens, and furry creatures danced, sang, and laughed together.

Kal and Luke were the last to arrive at the celebration, rushing to meet their friends and hug them. Kal gripped Wedge and Hobbie as tight as she could, relieved to see them both alive and well before she was pulled away to hug Han, Leia, and Chewie.

Kal and Luke, before fully joining the celebration, looked off to the side to see three Force ghosts shimmer into existence. Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin smiled at the pair. The three lived on through the Force.


	37. Inferno Squad

4 ABY

With the death of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader and the destruction of the Death Star, what remained of the Empire was left fractured and scrambling, but they were still fighting. The work of the Rebel Alliance wasn't over, but the true work of Luke Skywalker and Kaleena Kenobi had just begun.

Aboard the _Desert Dragon_ a simple week after the Battle of Endor, Kal flew Luke and their droids to the planet Pillio for the Force had called out to him, sending them to the remote, uncolonized planet in the Jinata system.

Once the two Jedi disembarked the scout ship that had been parked by one of the many waterfalls adorning the land, they watched an Imperial shuttle fly overhead. The planet was surely beautiful, but it was marred by the presence of the Empire. The Empire had a habit of ruining things.

Luke glanced at Kal. "If the Empire is here, then what I sensed is true. There must be something special about this place." Artoo beeped from beside them. "You stay here, Artoo. Their scanners probably spotted us."

Kal picked up Gray from her shoulder. "Gray, scout ahead. Stay out of sight." Gray beeped in affirmation and flew forward, leaving their sight shortly after. She looked at the red plants and white rocks around them. "Whatever is here, I can't sense anything over the life forms."

"Well, I can think of a few other reasons that might be," Luke told her with a cheeky grin. She huffed with a smile. She had just barely started to show and he had only been allowed to make jokes and references to her pregnancy with the two of them alone or with their droids. None of their friends had been told yet. It was their special secret until the chaos died down in the war. Or until she got too big to hide it. Even then, they still needed to fully adjust to the idea themselves before bringing anyone else in.

Kal began walking forward first. "We should stay vigilant. The Empire will be looking for us."

Artoo beeped loudly. "We'll be fine, Artoo," Luke reassured the astromech. "You stay here."

The two Jedi hopped off the mini cliff and continued walking in the direction they had seen Gray fly. A transmission came through the comlink on Kal's wrist, so they paused. Pressing the button to accept the transmission, a holographic map of the area projected from the holocom. Kal pointed to a few spots on the upcoming trail Gray had mapped. "Stormtroopers. Looks like there are shuttles ahead, too."

As the hologram faded out, Kal and Luke unclipped their lightsabers from their belts, ready for a fight with the Empire.

Walking between boulders and bushes, Kal and Luke swiftly took out the three stormtroopers spotted ahead. Passed the small group and around a bend sat two Imperial shuttles.

"What is that?" one of the stormtroopers asked as the two Jedi hurried forward.

"A lightsaber!" another exclaimed.

"Blast 'em!"

Kal deflected blaster bolts away from her, and Luke and he Force pushed the nearest trooper away, the trooper hitting the side of the closest shuttle. They continued forward, taking troopers out one by one with the Force and their sabers.

With all the Imperials around the shuttles dispatched, Kal faltered, looking over the equipment they had been unloading. "Looks like the Empire is searching for something, too." Luke turned to see what she was looking at. Mining equipment and explosives.

They went up a trail and Luke surged forward to take out a machine gun. "Here come the reinforcements," he remarked as a trooper flew by on a jetpack. Kal sent a small boulder towards the trooper, knocking him out of the air.

Another shuttle was a short distance away after a camp, and a small band of troopers was running towards them. At the front were heavy troopers. "I got it," Kal said. She ran forward and jumped down from the stone walkway, using the Force to cushion her fall and throw the squad back. Luke came up behind her and blocked a blaster bolt before she could. She stood and looked at him. "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

The Imperial took off and flew away as they continued their assault. The two stopped behind a boulder to catch their breaths and another message from Gray came through the comms. "Gray says there's a cave further ahead with more troopers," she relayed.

"Let's go greet them." Luke ignited his lightsaber once again and Kal followed close behind.

Over another stone walkway, they spotted the cave. "Don't let them near the cave!" they heard a stormtrooper order. Then that was exactly where they were going.

With the area cleared, they turned off their lightsabers and Gray came out of hiding to rest on his master's shoulder.

"This isn't what I wanted," Luke said.

Kal reached over to take his hand. "Sometimes what we want isn't what we get." She turned her head to look at the dark cave. "We should see what they were trying to keep us away from." She then patted her droid who beeped excitedly. "Thanks for the help, buddy."

Tentatively, the two Jedi walked to the mouth of the cave. Amber grew from the rock formations. They entered the cave and turned on their lightsabers for light. "There's something down here," Luke realized. "Something. . . unnatural."

"I sense it, too. It feels kind of cold and angry."

Once they exited the small passageway, the cave continued below a short cliff. Screeching from creatures echoed through the cave. "Don't let them touch you!" someone screamed from further inside followed by blaster fire.

Kal raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like they're angering the wildlife."

They hopped down to another rock platform and walked forward to see more of the fight ahead. "Looks like we're not the only ones who wish the Empire wasn't here."

Jumping off the last part of the cliff, they ran forward, taking the Imperials by surprise. The surprise didn't last long as they others spotted their lightsabers and began firing from around the cave and the further opening. Gray settled on Kal's upper back to allow her to swing her saber freely, deflecting blaster bolts back to their sources.

Force jumping up the cave sides to reach the other group of troopers, Kal and Luke took out the remaining Imperials, the light of the cave opening from the surface illuminating the inside of the cave.

"What's going on out there?" a voice called from further in the cave. Luke and Kal continued going, reaching a blocked-off portion of the cave. Amber stalagmites blocked the pathway, so they sliced through it with their lightsabers. "I'm stuck in. . . I don't know what it is, but those creatures spit it all over me." Kal frowned at the voice. It didn't sound muffled like a stormtrooper's. An officer, perhaps. "Hello? Can anyone here me?"

Luke and Kal breached the section of the cave and turned off their sabers. Once they turned a corner, they saw a man in black clothing and armor stuck in the amber ahead.

He noticed them as well. "Who are you?" he asked.

"We heard you call out," Luke replied as he and Kal went towards the Imperial. "Sounded like you need help."

The man looked at them warily. "Yeah, I do. You think we can get me out of this?"

Kal raised a wary brow. _An Imperial asking them for help?_ Luke glanced over at her, thinking the same thing. Even then, Kal went first, watching her step to avoid the dead stormtroopers and mini stalagmites. She also had to admit she liked finally being around a non-hostile Imperial so she wasn't the only one walking around with the accent.

"Hold still," she told the stranger, igniting the cyan blade in her hand. She saw the shock on his face which turned to a grimace as she cut through the unnatural amber formation.

The stranger groaned and stumbled forward once he was free. He turned to Kal and Luke, eyeing the lightsaber. "I know who you two are," the stranger said. "Why'd you help me?"

"Because you asked," Luke answered simply, almost amused.

The stranger didn't get to reply to that sentiment as bugs dug out of holes from the cave walls, screeching with a mild orange glow. Luke ignited his lightsaber and they readied their stances.

"No, no, no, that won't do it," the stranger warned. "This will!"

"No, wait!" Luke called as the man tossed forward a thermal detonator. The explosion, while killing the bugs, broke the cave floor. The three fell through the hole. Kal and Luke landed swiftly on their feet, using the Force to lessen the strain on their limbs, while the stranger landed hard in a puddle. Luke stopped large boulders from the explosion from landing on the Imperial and he looked over in wonder at the Jedi. Luke set the boulders aside. Kal smirked and clipped her saber to the harness around her thigh beneath her long coat.

The stranger groaned as he sat up and Luke held out his hand. If the Imperial could be more confused, he did, but he still took Luke's hand and allowed him to help him up.

"I've heard a hundred stories about the Jedi. They terrified me as a boy on Coruscant, but you. . ." The man trailed off as Kal picked up his blaster from the ground.

"Come on," Luke said. Kal held out the blaster to the man. "We need to work together if we're going to get out of here." The group started forward, Luke going first. "You're looking for something. So are we. It seems the Force has brought us together."

The stranger scoffed, following the two Jedi. "What a stroke of luck."

"There's no such thing as luck," Kal said, recalling her father's words.

"Right. The Force. Is that what got you past my men, or was it the lightsabers you're carrying?"

"I'm sorry," Luke told him.

"That's what I thought," the stranger said. "So, why am I still alive?"

"They didn't give us a choice," Kal replied. "You did."

"More bugs." He didn't need to say it. The Jedi already felt the bugs coming.

"Watch our backs," Luke said. "And we'll watch yours." Kal and Luke unclipped the hilts and ignited the blades.

"Yeah, I don't have much of a choice."

Kal couldn't help but smirk at the man. She sliced through one of the bugs that jumped from the walls towards them. The Imperial fired his blaster and the Jedi cut through the air, all three killing the bugs who flew and crawled towards them.

"Why are these things attacking us?" the stranger asked.

"They're angry," Luke answered, feeling their emotions through the Force. "We're invading their home." The small group reached another blocked-off portion of the cave. It was blocked by amber stalagmites. "That amber, it's like concrete."

"It hardens almost on contact."

"It shatters on contact, too." Kal swung her blade, slicing through the amber to clear a path as Luke sensed something.

"It's here," Luke muttered, sensing what he had felt upon arrival.

The stranger hadn't heard him. "We're getting close to the Emperor's Observatory."

Luke glanced at him as Kal finished cutting through the amber. "So that's why you're here."

"Don't worry. I'm here to destroy it."

Kal paused, looking back at the Imperial. "On whose orders?" What she really wanted to ask was _Why?_ but she had a feeling the answer would be the exact same.

The stranger shook his head. "I don't know exactly." The three reached a part of the cave that wasn't completely enclosed, the sun shining through from above. Shadows were cast by stone walkways and water flowed from the surface above. A metal doorway was at the other end of the passage. "Hold on. The observatory's protected. If I don't disarm the defenses, the entire cavern will explode and take us with it." Kal and Luke followed the Imperial to a terminal encased in amber. "Blast. It's covered in that amber."

"I'll uncover the terminal," Luke told him. He delicately cut through the hardened material and it shattered, leaving the defense terminal unharmed. "How's that?"

"Better." The stranger knelt at the control panel. Vibrations rocked the cavern and more screeching from the bugs echoed from the walls. "The defense system activated. The clock is officially ticking." Another vibration erupted.

"Your defense system is upsetting the wildlife," Luke remarked, glancing around. Kal readied her blade, sensing an ensuing fight.

"Keep working," Kal told the Imperial. "We'll take care of the bugs."

Together, Luke and Kal protected the stranger by killing the bugs that came to attack them. Kal pulled Luke out of the way of one. Wide-eyed, he said, "These bugs are very unhappy." She smiled and shoved him back upright to swing her blade again.

The defense terminal beeped. "That's it!" the stranger said. "Only one terminal left." Kal left Luke with the stranger to uncover the other terminal on the other side. Once free of the amber, the stranger hurried over, being protected from bugs by Luke. "Thanks. I'm on it." He got to work. "We've got four minutes before the system explodes."

Kal killed one of the bugs. "Then hurry up!"

"It's hard to believe, but I'm kind of glad you're here. Couldn't have done this alone."

Kal rolled her eyes. "Why do I get the feeling you're a nervous talker?" She Force repulsed a mass of bugs away from them.

Another minute passed of Kal and Luke killing bugs before the defense terminal beeped. "That's it! We're safe. . . Mostly." The Imperial took off towards the observatory door and Kal and Luke followed, leaving what was left of the bugs behind. They ran up the hill. "This is it. The Emperor's Observatory." Once they reached the door, the bugs wouldn't come any closer. "Whatever's inside these doors, those bugs don't like it." Kal and Luke turned to face the doors, putting away their lightsabers. "There's nothing on this thing. How am I supposed to open it?"

"With the key," Luke told him. He looked to Kal. "Would you like to open it, or shall I?"

"You're the one that likes showing off. Not me." She winked. They both know that wasn't exactly true. Nevertheless, Luke raised his hand and closed his eyes, opening the door with the Force.

"Why would the Emperor have a vault that can only be opened using the Force?" the stranger asked the two Jedi.

Luke decided to pose a different question. "Why do you think?"

The Imperial looked at them confused. "You're telling me the man who destroyed the Jedi Order was secretly one of them?"

"Do you know what's under the Jedi Temple on Coruscant?" Kal asked him.

He shook his head. "No."

Luke's face was passive as he walked into the observatory. "As a boy growing up on Coruscant, you were frightened of the wrong thing."

The sunlight from outside illuminated the darkened interior. The two began to look around, the Force drawing them in for different reasons. Kal walked towards the corner of the room and opened one of the crates. Inside sat a Jedi Medallion next to a book: _The Jedi Path_. She quickly picked the two items up and slipped them inside her coat. She glanced at Gray on her shoulder and playfully lifted a finger to her lips.

The Imperial looked around at the stuff piled inside the observatory. "There's nothing dangerous in here. The Emperor is protecting junk. This is all worthless."

"Not all of it," Luke said, opening up one of the containers. He picked up an item from the container he was looking in. Kal and Gray rejoined the two men to see Luke holding a silver compass.

"What is that?" the stranger asked.

"I'd like to keep this compass if you don't mind."

The stranger walked towards the younger Jedi. "My mission is to destroy this place. Why would I let you do that?"

"Because I asked," Luke stated simply. The stranger remembered the same words from early and nodded. "Thank you." Luke tucked the compass away into his pocket. "We won't stop you from destroying this vault. But wouldn't you say the Empire has done enough damage to innocent worlds?" Luke began walking away and held out his hand. Kal took it as they left the vault and began walking back to the surface.

The stranger followed shortly after, not leaving behind any detonators. "What's your name?" Kal asked the Imperial.

He hesitated but decided to answer anyway. "Del Meeko," he replied. "And yours?"

"Kaleena Kenobi."

"Luke Skywalker."

The three had little trouble leaving the cavern and cave, reaching the surface far faster than they had reached the observatory. "I'm glad we were brought together, Del," Luke said.

"So, what happens now?" Del wondered. "We all walk off in separate directions and pretend like this never happened?"

"I don't think you can. There's still conflict in you."

"Of course there's conflict in me." Del stopped walking and Kal and Luke turned to face him. "I'm not blind. I know what the Empire's capable of. But what else is there?"

Kal's eyes were sad as she looked at him. "A choice."

"The Rebellion?"

"No," Luke quickly said. "A choice to be better. May the Force be with you." With that, Kal and Luke walked back to the _Desert Dragon_ where Artoo waited.

Once the ship had entered hyperspace, Luke showed Kal the compass that the Force had drawn him to. She gasped, taking it from his hand. "Luke, do you realize what this is?" she asked.

"A compass engraved with astromeridian etch lines and a plasma-encased supraluminite lodestone."

Kal paused and blinked a few times. "Sometimes I forget you're a pilot and mechanic that knows science stuff. I have no idea what you just said." She shook her head and waved her hand, moving on. "Anyway, it's not just a compass, but a Jedi star compass. They're not like normal compasses, but instead, they're attuned to specific places.

"So where is this one attuned to?" he wondered.

"You said the Force called you to it, right?" Luke nodded. "And you wanted to uncover more secrets about the Jedi?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, neither of us had formal training in a Jedi Temple, so I assumed we should start there, you know?"

She smiled at him. "Luke, when reading up on Jedi lore and watching all of the holocrons I liberated from Coruscant, there is only one major mystery surrounding the Jedi Order: the location of the first Jedi Temple. There are numerous temples that were debated by scholars as being the first temple, but no one truly knew where."

He realized what she was inferring and pointed at the compass. "So you think this compass might lead us there?"

"I think so."

"Then we better figure out how it works."

* * *

Two days later, Kal was playing sabaac with General Lando Calrissian in the galley of the Rebel cruiser he had been put in charge of. Luke had been called away to help with a skirmish, having also been promoted to General. Kal had refused to accept another title from the Alliance other than Fulcrum. While Lando was impressed with her sabaac face, it still wasn't enough to beat him at the card game. Thankfully, before the end of the game, Lando was contacted by the Command Center.

Shriv Suurgav, a Duros rebel and Danger Leader, met Lando and Kal and informed them of the distress signal they had received from Inferno Squad, the infamous special forces unit of the Empire, and the information they had received from the defectors about an Operation: Cinder. According to reports, Naboo was next.

The three walked down the hall to the brig. "So you thought it was a trap but brought them onboard anyway?" Lando said, making sure he understood Shriv correctly.

"You're always telling me to take risks!" Shriv argued. "Seemed like the most irresponsible thing I could do." Kal laughed at the exchange. She wasn't particularly surprised.

Lando patted the Duros on the shoulder once they stopped outside the cell the squad members were being held in. "Atta boy."

The guard opened the door and the three walked in. Kal eyed the occupants, immediately recognizing the man as Del Meeko, the Imperial who she and Luke encountered days prior. The woman stood at attention as the rebels entered and Del eyed Kal warily, unsure of how she would react to their presence. Kal simply smirked as she stood closest to the door which slid shut.

"Hello," Lando greeted. "I'm General Lando Calrissian. You must be the Imperial defectors I've heard so much about."

"General, we've already told your people everything we know," the woman said. She was undoubtedly the commanding officer, Iden Versio.

Lando glanced at Kal who used the Force to subtly peer into her open mind. "She's telling the truth."

Lando nodded. "Let's take a walk."

Iden looked confused, glancing back at Del who was still sitting. "Okay." Kal side-stepped to let the others out first and fell into step with Del. Iden walked beside Lando and Shriv took up the rear. "What is this?"

"A bad idea," Shriv remarked.

"To settle a bet," Lando told her. "Shriv thinks you're Imperial spies, but Kal trusts your intentions."

"What do you think?" Iden asked.

"I think you're scared. Running for your lives." Lando led them through the cruiser, out of the brig. "Listen, you gave us good intel on Operation: Cinder. In return, I've got two starfighters just for you."

Del glanced between the rebels. "Wait, you're letting us leave?"

"If you ask," Kal told him with a small smile.

"That's right," Lando said, looking back at him. "Start a new life. Find somewhere safe."

"Somewhere you can track us?" Iden suggested.

"We're too busy for that," Shriv told her.

Lando led them down a hall. "We just received word that Operation: Cinder is headed to Naboo."

"You have to stop it," Del said urgently.

"I think we can handle it."

Iden didn't have the faith Lando had. "You're wrong. The Empire is changing, and so are it's tactics."

"If that's the case, why not come with us? Help us save Naboo."

Iden frowned. "We're not here to join your rebellion."

"No one's asking you to," Shriv said.

Lando ignored Shriv. "This is a one time deal," the general assured the defectors. "You can leave right now, or you can stop this."

"You really trust us to fight beside you?" Iden questioned.

Lando stopped outside the hangar bay doors. "Well, if you do decide to turn on us, I have a few Jedi up my sleeve. But what can I say? I'm a big believer in second chances."

Kal eyed Del. "It's a chance to be better." The male Imperial glanced between Kal and Iden. Kal could feel the continued conflict within him

"Come on," Lando said. "We'll show you to your ships." A rebel opened the hangar bay doors to allow the group to pass through.

"We don't even know how to fly X-Wings," Iden told them.

"You're Inferno Squad," Kal said raising an eyebrow. "If anyone can figure it out, it's you."

"Should be easy for special forces," Lando agreed.

The group stopped. They needed an answer. "What's the alternative, Iden?" Del asked.

Iden looked at the red and white X-Wing ahead of them. "So, what's it going to be?" Lando asked her.

She sighed. "We'll help you."

"Called it," Kal said with a nod. She held out her hand to Shriv. "Pay up."

Shriv grumbled and dug his hand into his pocket. "How do you always know?" He slapped some credits into her outstretched hand as Inferno Squad looked on, confused and amused.

"She's a Jedi," Del said simply, a small smile pulling at his lips. He held out his arm to her. Kal clasped forearms with the defector. The conflict that had been within him was now gone. "You helped me before. It's only right I return the favor."


	38. Celebration of New Life

4 ABY

Sometimes Kal wondered why she was friends with who she decided to hang around. Who in their right mind would be friends with a famously unreliable smuggler, a war-hardened Wookiee, a Mandalorian, a former princess, and not one but two Imperial defectors? She especially didn't trust her mental state when she realized she still had to tell all of them about her being pregnant.

It had been a month since the Battle of Endor when Kal and Luke had deemed themselves ready to tell their friends.

With Sabine on Lothal as its protector who occasionally aided the continued rebellion, Kal had holoed her briefly. Sabine wasn't surprised, not like Kal had believed she would be surprised.

Kal and Luke had cornered Leia and Han before the two had been pulled away from yet another mission. Han looked begrudgingly happy. He wasn't surprised, but rather acting like an over-protective older brother. Leia, on the other hand, had been surprised. Excited but surprised. With the rebellion still in full swing, they needed some hope to cling to, and budding new life was one such thing, especially since Leia hadn't ever known her birth family, and then she was all of a sudden poised to become an aunt.

As for telling Wedge and Hobbie, they gave Luke a lot of shit. Besides Hobbie and Kal's brief stint as lovers, they had grown to be like siblings, at least in their current feelings. Wedge likened himself to Kal's best friend, so of course, he was protective. But neither pilot had threatened Luke with pain if he hurt Kal. Instead, they reminded him that Kal could take care of herself, and was still often the act-first, think-later woman they had all grown to know. Luke understood their meaning. The two pilots also tried to convince the two upcoming parents to name their child after one of them.

By the time Kal reached her fifth month of pregnancy, three months after the Battle of Endor, she hated most of it. Food cravings weren't terrible but pain while peeing and swollen feet were awful. But that wasn't the worst part: she was relegated to near inactivity on Ajan Kloss. Luke and Kal had officially left the Rebel Alliance and were focused on traversing the galaxy, recovering Jedi artifacts, and uncovering Jedi secrets while the Alliance continued the fight against the Empire. They were also about to begin training Leia at her request, but first, they had more news to announce.

Hissing as a sharp pain passed through her abdomen, Luke stopped the maintenance work on his lightsaber and hurried to her side. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she promised, taking in a deep breath. "The medical droid said occasional pain was normal."

"Doesn't mean I like it," Luke said gently. "Have a seat." He coaxed her into a nearby chair in the cave they had set up and begun living in. Kal begrudgingly sat down. She hated not being able to do just about everything under the sun. "You need to take it easy."

"I know," she grumbled.

While Luke was amused at her frustration and restlessness, he was also worried she would exhaust herself. She had already been having difficulty sleeping. He ran a hand through her hair. "Relax until they get here. Then you can run around."

Kal grinned, chuckling a little. She still hated it, but at least she knew Luke would succumb to her desire to do something. And with people visiting them, she had the perfect excuse. At least she had Artoo and Gray to keep her company, but they were often focused on bantering with each other and threatening each other with their laser prods.

The moment three ships left hyperspace, Kal hopped up from her spot before Luke could ease her into the excitement. Unfortunately, she was briefly hit with a dizzy spell, and Luke made her sit back down, giving her a stern look and a kiss on her head. Luke waited at the mouth of the cave to greet their guests.

"You're huge!" Wedge called out, completely bypassing Luke the moment he saw Kal further inside and beaming from ear to ear. Kal rolled her eyes and stood, slower at that time. Despite her annoyance at his wording, she was happy to see him and gladly hugged him. Hobbie and Sabine came up and joined the hug, not even saying anything. The band was back together.

Han, Leia, Chewie, Lando, and Threepio greeted Luke at the mouth of the cave and the three watched in amusement at the two pilots and the Mandalorian squeezing the life out of the pregnant woman. When Kal finally extracted herself from her three closest friends, she hugged Han, Leia, Chewie, and Lando as well. Hugging a droid would be awkward.

Luke joined Kal's side and he slipped his hand into hers, taking in a deep breath as her heart raced in her chest. Han frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "What's going on?" he asked. "You said you had news."

The two Jedi had already told them all about her being pregnant, including Boba, before they had left the Alliance, but now they had more news to share.

"You better be getting married," Hobbie guessed, folding his arms over his chest. At Luke's nervous glancing and Kal's confused expression, Hobbie groaned. "Oh, come on, you haven't asked her?"

"That's not what we called you all here for," Luke said quickly, trying to change the subject.

"You better get a move on before I ask her for you," Wedge remarked, partly joking, partly serious.

"I'm with him there," Sabine said, lifting her hand to make sure everyone knew where she stood on the matter.

"Anyway," Kal interrupted, resting her free hand on her stomach, "we have a few things to announce, none of which are a wedding."

"You know, as the Captain of a ship, I can officiate a wedding," Han added.

"Yeah," Leia said, continuing with his sentiment. "Can we focus on that for a second?"

"No!" Luke and Kal chorused together. This wasn't how either of them had imagined having everyone there, but they figured they shouldn't have been surprised. Most of the group were action-oriented people.

Luke pinched his nose and sighed. "First, for those of you who don't know, we are about to take on our first Jedi student." He gestured to Leia. "Leia will hopefully be the first in a long line of padawans we take on as we restart the Jedi Order."

Sabine grinned proudly at the former princess. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Sabine," Leia said. Han wrapped his arm around her, also proud of her.

"Next," Kal continued, "we have decided on the godparents." Her dark eyes shifted to the dark-haired rebel pilot. "Wedge."

"And Leia," Luke added.

"And Sabine."

"And Han."

The congregated group looked at the two Jedi, baffled at their choices. "Four?" Lando questioned. "Isn't it only supposed to be two?"

"Well, that brings us to our final bit of news," Luke told him.

Kal and Luke raised their hands. "We're having twins!" they said together with broad grins. If any of them were eating and drinking, they surely would have spit out the contents of their mouths in shock.

"One's a boy, the other a girl," Kal explained, looking over the surprised group. She looked up at Luke. "I think we broke them."

Leia was the first to say anything, coming out of her stupor. "That's amazing, you two." She moved forward to embrace the couple together. "I'm happy for you." She pulled away with a big smile.

"Wait, so am I the godfather of the boy or the girl?" Wedge asked. Sabine hit him hard in the stomach. He doubled over and groaned in pain at being hit by her armored fist. "Ugh, sorry, sorry. Just a question. Congrats."

"Do you have names picked out yet?" Sabine wondered, moving on from Wedge's question.

"Oh, no, not yet, we're still figuring those out," Luke answered.

"This calls for a celebration." Lando held up the bottle of wine he had brought. "Drinks anyone?"

Hobbie was the one most excited about the drinks. "Sadly, the one who can drink us all under the table is the one who can't be drinking anything. But hey, more for the rest of us."

* * *

Months passed and Kal's pregnancy progressed. She was practically bed-ridden most of the time, and with Luke training Leia, she spent most of her time with Artoo and Gray. Occasionally, Kal taught Leia more Force techniques, but the physical training was left to Luke further into the forest of Ajan Kloss. But above all else, what kept her company was her own children whom she could feel through the Force, along with their Force-sensitivity. Kal found that the twins responded to her thoughts and emotions, and they were full of light.

The two Jedi had decided to have the children on the remote jungle planet as it was far away from the continued fight with the Empire, so Han and Chewie smuggled two medical droids and as many medical supplies they could get planetside to help. The natural temperature control of the cave made for the perfect shelter to settle down in for the time being until they were able to travel again. And the only time Luke willingly left Ajan Kloss was when they needed food supplies or the Force called out to him for various reasons such as collecting the remains of the Great Tree that had once grown at the heart of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

The closer Kal got to forty weeks, the more exhausted she became. She had difficulty walking around and pain in her abdomen became more common. Sleeping also became harder no matter how fatigued she was. But the gentle pressure of Luke's hand resting against her stomach helped her relax even though he was often hoping to feel the babies move rather than trying to comfort her, but she didn't tell him she knew that.

She did greatly miss one thing above just about everything else: she missed wearing pants.

Two weeks prior to her due date, Kal went into labor. If she thought feeling Luke's pain through the Force while being tortured with lightning by an evil Force-user was bad, childbirth was worse. She practically broke Luke's hand while squeezing it. Leia tried to use the Force to help calm Kal, but it didn't work. Kal cursed up a storm: everything from Luke getting her pregnant to the beeping of the medical equipment to the rain pouring outside the cave. If she thought of it, she cursed it into oblivion. She wished she could blast everything into oblivion instead.

But at the end of the hours of labor, Luke and Kal held their two healthy babies: Kelin and Karena. Little Kelin had a tuft of hair that matched his mother's while Karena's matched her father's, and they both had matching blue eyes passed down from both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.

The first person to visit after the birth of the twins was Han, of course. Leia had physically been there for the birth because of her ongoing Jedi training, so Han and Chewie arrived as quickly as they could afterward. The moment Leia placed their godson into his arms, Han froze. He could barely figure out how to hold the baby, much less what to do when Kelin began wiggling.

The next to arrive, a few days after the fact, were Wedge and Hobbie, having taken a short leave of absence from the rebellion to visit for a short period of time. While they loved doting upon both of the babies, they both secretly preferred Karena. Kal heard them each remark separately that they were going to teach her so many things that would annoy the hell out of Kal and Luke, like flying maneuvers that could induce heart attacks on the faint-hearted.

The _Ghost_ crew also visited. Hera revealed to Kal that she had missed having a baby and that Jacen was growing far too fast. Zeb begrudgingly held each of the snot monsters and secretly loved them. Rex told Luke stories about Anakin while rocking Kelin to sleep. Sabine looked over Karena like a guardian angel.

The last to visit, almost a month later, much to Kal's excitement and shock, was Boba. She hadn't expected him to visit at all, but she supposed she should have known better. They had been through too much for him not to want to.

The moment he disembarked from the _Slave 1_ and entered the cave, Kal looked up from where she rocked the twins in the bassinet. She quietly stood from the sleeping babies and ran over to the bounty hunter, embracing him in a welcoming hug.

"You came," she muttered into his shoulder.

He held her tight. "Of course I did." Kal led him over to the twins who laid in the bassinet completely asleep. Boba took off his helmet to look at them without interference. Kal noticed the softness in his expression. "What are their names?"

"Kelin and Karena." She pointed to the respective baby as she told him their names. "I'm hoping you'll stay in their lives?"

Boba studied the sleeping babies. They were helpless, vulnerable, and defenseless. They were going to need all the help they could get to become big and strong like their parents. Boba intended to be there for them through it all. "I wouldn't miss it, kid."

Losing the baby weight was almost as difficult as gaining it, but Kal began training again, running through the jungle with Leia, racing the younger woman through the trees and bushes. When either Luke or Kal needed a break, Leia or any of their friends were happily available to watch the babies. Babies were new. Babies were a distraction from death and loss. Babies brought hope.

But there were times when Luke and Kal were left completely alone with them, and they loved that, too, despite the lack of sleep.

Neither of them had ever truly thought children would be in their futures. They had both grown up with abysmal parent figures and poor childhoods, so the thought of them being responsible to raise two of their own? It sounded like a dream that would never have been realized if they hadn't met each other.

When one of the twins would wake them up in the middle of the night, and when Kal was the one to get up for them, she would sing the same song her mother had sung to her. It only felt right.

"In the morning when you rise, I bless the sun, I bless the skies. I bless your lips, I bless your eyes. My blessing goes with you. In the night time when you sleep, oh, I bless you while a watch I keep. As you lie in slumber deep, my blessing goes with you. This is my prayer for you. There for you, ever true. Each every day for you. In everything you do. And when you come to me, and hold me close to you, I bless you, and you bless me too."

Kal's voice echoed through the cave, often waking Luke from his lull of sleep as well. He would watch as she gently rocked them back to sleep.

One night, when she went back to bed, laying down beside Luke, he pulled her close, rubbing her arm with his hand. He loved her with all his heart, and there was one thing left for him to do. Even if she had bags under her eyes and she hadn't brushed her hair in days, she was the most beautiful woman in the galaxy to him, and she needed to know something: he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Will you marry me?"

Kal barely heard his quiet voice over the sound of the rain outside the cave. She turned her head to look back at him. Luke's expression hadn't wavered. He didn't feel nervous or unsure. If anything, he had never been more certain of anything in his life. So he repeated his question.

"Will you marry me?"

She had the perfect answer.

"Yes."

The ceremony was simple. It had taken place on Ajan Kloss, the planet having become a sort of safe haven for the Jedi for the time being. Han, true to his word, had officiated. Only the closest of friends had been invited. Sabine and Wedge hadn't let the mini twins out of their sights for the entire event. Boba made the occasional joke about Kal hopping aboard her ship and flying away. Leia fussed with the appearance of the bride and groom. Lando brought drinks and remained the life of the party, as per usual. Hobbie told stories about the bride and groom dancing around each other for the longest time and even not-so-subtly hinted that he had slept with Kal first, to which she threatened to slice him in half with her lightsaber.

Times were simple and fun for the first time in a long time. They didn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, the war with the Empire hadn't ended yet. The rebels still part of the Alliance were forced to return, everyone wishing the conflict would end soon for all of their sanities.

But one good thing had come from the conflict with the Empire. It brought people together, people who likely wouldn't have met otherwise. Sometimes that was the only upside to war. But it was still war.


	39. Secrets of the Jedi

5 ABY

Kal had woken up bright and early to get everything ready for a surprise trip. Wedge and Hobbie were babysitting Karena and Kelin, and it was long passed the time for Luke and Leia to learn more about their parents. Thankfully, Kal had the perfect place to do so while helping Leia learn more about the path to becoming a Jedi and Luke to access the knowledge needed for restarting the Jedi Order. The war hadn't quite ended yet, but the three were far too focused on other things for the most part anyway.

All they had to do was travel to the hideout Boba had helped her establish on Rishi years prior. It was small and hidden in a mountain cave and the best place she could find to hide the holocrons she had stolen from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. It also held the krayt dragon pearl and a few other important things, such as lightsaber crystals and Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber. Once she got there, it would also hold the Jedi Medallion and book Kal had taken from the Emperor's Observatory.

Boba claimed every bounty hunter needed a safe house in case they ran into trouble. Rishi was the only planet Kal thought of to set one up. Any property on Coruscant had to be bought, she hadn't been willing to head back to Tatooine yet, and Rishi was covered in pirates and gunrunners in the tropical parts and barely inhabited in the mountains except for the native Rishii. As long as she steered clear of the exonium mines and the nests of the Rishii, her hideout would remain untouched.

And if the only way to get to it was using Force jumps or a jetpack? It'd make for a fun trip with an untrained Force-user. Luke and Leia didn't have a choice. Kal would drag them if she had to. They had to see the safehouse.

Luke and Leia were dragged out of their beds by Kal, told to pack go-bags, and ordered to meet at the _Desert Dragon_ in an hour. Han had been amused at the situation and grumpy that he had been woken up, choosing to roll back over in bed as Leia got ready. Wedge and Hobbie were already awake as they had been told the night before about the trip and were asked to watch the babies.

Once Luke and Leia were onboard, Kal brought her ship into space, set the coordinates for their trip through hyperspace, and promptly told Luke and Leia to go back to sleep for the duration of the flight. Kal and Luke curled back into bed in the captain's quarters while Leia laid out on a fold-out bed in the common area.

Gray woke Kal from her nap once the ship began to beep, informing them of their arrival at Rishi. Kal moved from her quarters to the pilot chair to take the ship out of hyperspace. Luke and Leia entered the cockpit shortly after. The vast blues and greens of the planet were the first thing Luke noticed. Spending his whole life on Tatooine, a boring desert planet, made him gape at the beauty of other planets every time he saw them. Rishi was no different.

"Where are we?" he wondered as Kal flew the ship towards the surface.

"Rishi. You may have heard of it from smugglers."

Luke nodded. "A little, yeah." He'd definitely heard of it. Why Kal was taking him there was beyond him. He'd never heard anything good about the planet. Supposedly, it had a worse crime rate than Tatooine.

Leia knew it as a place to avoid due to her time in the Senate. "Why are we here?" she asked. "You've been strangely cryptic about the whole thing."

"You'll see," Kal said, smirking. She landed the ship at the spaceport that was closest to her hideout. "Hope you're wearing good shoes because we're going hiking."

"What?" Luke didn't get a response, instead having to follow Kal outside in silence with Gray being left to watch over the ship.

Together the three trekked into the thick forest for about an hour, not staying in the city for long to avoid unwanted attention. Hiking through thick flora after living on a barren planet was not something any of them had done since Endor. But Rishi was tougher and more humid. Now they were slipping and tripping over everything in his path as the three wandered up the mountain into a clearing, or at least what Luke and Leia thought constituted as a mountain.

Luke, so excited to be in a flat clearing, didn't notice the rock tower in front of him right away. Palm trees surrounded the two young rebels and in front of them stood one of Rishi's actual mountains. Tall and jagged and straight up, it didn't look like anything that could be hiked. And Kal was looking up at the top.

Groaning, Luke turned to Kal. "Please, don't tell me we're going up there," he said.

"Then I won't say it."

"But-but how?" Luke waved his hand at it. "We don't have jetpacks or climbing gear."

Kal chuckled at his reaction to the mountain. "The Force." _Right, of course_ , Luke thought to himself. _Still have to get used to that_.

"Uh, I don't think I've learned enough about the Force to do that quite yet," Leia pointed out. Kal gestured for her to move closer. Leia hesitated but did as requested.

Bending her knees, Kal said, "Hop on my back."

"Seriously?" Disbelief was evident in Leia's voice. The look on Kal's face was all the answer Leia needed.

Leia hopped onto Kal's back and Kal gripped the former princess's thighs. "Hold on tight." Kal used the Force to leap upwards onto one of the lower cliffs on the mountain. Leia let out an involuntary screech at the sudden lurch.

Luke couldn't believe they were doing it, following them with a leap as well. He immediately hugged the side of the mountain, not wanting to look down. He never fancied himself as being afraid of heights, but his urge to puke from the sudden and unwelcome jolt into the air did not sit well with his body. Luke breathed deeply in and out as he urged his stomach to calm. Sometimes taking evasive maneuvers while flying caused his stomach to churn, but it didn't compare to the feeling of free-flying through the air with no tech to keep him from falling to his death.

Leia had slipped off of Kal's back once they landed. With no adverse effects to being so high, she simply needed to calm her erratic heart. _Were all training techniques so impulsive?_ she asked herself. Surely, they couldn't all have been. But the look on Luke's face provided her answer. He was displeased, not surprised, which meant that two of the most prominent Jedi, Master Yoda and Master Kenobi, had employed the same or similar training techniques. All others were likely similar. Learn by doing.

Kal reached a hand out to their shoulders in an attempt to comfort them. "Sorry. It'll pass. Takes a while to get used to."

"Why are we going up a mountain, anyway?" Leia asked as her heartbeat slowed. "Why does the training have to take place up high?"

Sighing and shaking her head, Kal held out her hand. "Because we're not training. Not exactly, anyway."

Leia eyed her skeptically, but took her hand anyway, standing up straight and breathing deeply. That time they jumped together, going further up the face of the Rishi mountain. After a few more, the three were face to face with a giant boulder.

Kal took a step towards the boulder. Holding out her hand, she used the Force to move the boulder to the side, just enough to let them slip inside.

"Wow," Luke exclaimed as he entered the small hideout. Kal moved the boulder back into place after switching on one of the lanterns. Lining the edges of the small cave were shelves covered in a couple hundred glowing blue holocrons. The twins moved closer to the nearest shelf. "What are they?"

"Jedi Holocrons. Each holocron holds a hologram of a Jedi or Force-user. Many are lessons or observations. Some hold the history of the Jedi."

"Did you get them from your father?" Leia picked up the cube she was staring at.

"No, I got them out of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant," Kal answered.

Leia set the holocron back down and turned to Kal. "Why'd you bring us here?"

Kal folded her hands behind her back and passed her eyes between the two. "Because if we're going to train another generation of Jedi, we need the guidance of old masters. And because I have one of your father."

Kal watched Luke wander around the cave in amazement, staring at all the glowing holocrons for a few minutes. The Kenobi snorted as he narrowly avoided falling after tripping on the corner of a metal crate she had full of extra clothing. On the other hand, Leia eyed the cubes warily. Luke had been told far more about Anakin Skywalker than she had. She wasn't quite sure what to expect with said holocron.

Kal sat down on the floor with her back resting on the bed she had in the corner and folded her legs under her. Besides a small table with a lantern and two chairs, it was the only furniture in the safe house. She couldn't watch the excitable Luke and skeptical Leia any longer. They were making her go crazy just sitting there. "Pick one," she told them, her voice echoing through the cave. Luke had been bugging out over the holocrons since she told him one of them had his father like he was trying to figure out which one Anakin was on or all of a sudden had an increased fascination with them if that was possible.

The unintentional volume of her voice startled the young pilot. Luke looked at her and asked, "Really?"

"Yes, grab one and come here." She pointed to the spot in front of her. Luke excitedly grabbed the closest holocron and scurried over, folding his legs under him like they were about to meditate. Leia tentatively picked one up and followed suit. They set down their respective holocrons in front of them and looked at her expectantly, ready to learn. Kal's eyebrows pinched. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

His jaw dropping slightly, Luke gaped at her, surprised. "W-what do you mean? I thought you were gonna open it."

"Oh, I'm not going to open it," Kal said, shaking her head with a smirk. "You are."

"But how? None of the parts turn." Leia was sure she was messing with her. Kal gave her a thoughtful look, tilting her head. _The Force_ , Leia thought. She still had to fully get used to the idea that she could use an all-powerful energy.

Kal used her hand to pick up Leia's holocron, holding it between them just below eye level. "These little blue cubes hold so much information that the Empire would kill to have, and only a certain amount of people can open them. We are some of those people. If you want to see what's in them, you have to do it yourself and be prepared to hear the knowledge within." Kal twisted and turned the holocron in her hand. Her thoughts turned to Ezra, who had told her how he first opened Kanan's holocron of her father. He had done it by accident. "It doesn't always take effort. An old friend was trapped in a room alone with nothing but a holocron. He didn't know about the Force. He didn't know he was Force-sensitive. He didn't even know what it was. But he opened it. And he heard a message of hope that led him to be trained in the ways of the Force."

She delicately placed the holocron in Leia's hand, cupping her hands around the cube and Leia's hand with a reassuring smile. Leia sighed and shifted her weight, looking down at the cube. She considered it for a moment before looking back up at Kal. Leia's eyes bored into Kal's and she nodded. "Alright, I think I'm ready to start."

"You can do this. I know you can. You'll be a strong Force-user, regardless of if you decide to be a Jedi or not." Kal's eyes flicked to Luke who had a small smile on his face. "You need to be prepared to fully face a new world. I know you'll be a great teacher." His eyes brightened at her words. Kal stood. "Take as long as you need. Relax and feel the Force around you. Open yourself up to it and be prepared to see what's within. Not every holocron holds good news." She then walked over to the table and chairs and sat down, leaving the twins to their own devices as she read articles on her datapad to pass the time.

Luke took a few minutes to meditate and calm his mind. He had grown used to using the Force for martial purposes, and he needed to overcome that before opening himself up once again to the religion of the past. Because that's what the Jedi Order was: not a weapon but a way of thought.

Where Luke was impulsive, Leia was cautious. Where Luke was optimistic, Leia was pessimistic. And vice versa, depending on the situation and circumstance. They were two sides of the same coin. But Leia had a lot of anger aimed at the world that she needed to overcome, things that Luke had been forced to overcome on his own like impulsivity and immaturity. Leia was far more like Anakin than people seemed to give her credit for. Self-confident, mildly arrogant, witty, defiant, ruthless. Peace and mercy were for Padmé and Luke.

Time passed and a corner of a cube turned and clicked. Kal's concentration broke as she heard the shifting of a holocron. Leia's concentration on hers broke as Luke's raised slowly into the air as the corners clicked and pulled away. A flickering blue hologram started, pulling Luke out of his focus on the Force.

General Anakin Skywalker, in all his glory, sprouted from the holocron, with his long hair, dark clothing, and scarred face. "Form IV, also called Ataru, is the most acrobatic form, and relies heavily upon a Jedi's ability to run, jump, and spin using the Force. While most effective against single opponents, it can be used against opponents wielding blasters," Anakin instructed as his children watched. Kal stood silently and walked over to siblings and the holocron to watch closer. "Keeping your saber moving is key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries. Fluid motion, one into the next, into the next, and so on. I've made some adjustments to the classic Form IV techniques that I think you'll find work well against droids and other ranged attackers. Here, I'll show you."

The Jedi Knight ignited his lightsaber, the same one Luke had lost on Bespin and started slowly running through the stances as he blocked the occasional blaster bolt. After going through them, he sheathed his saber. "Practice these exercises mindfully and you'll see improvement. I promise." The hologram ended and the holocron closed, Luke still staring in wonder.

Kal placed a hand on Luke's shoulder as he stared wide-eyed at the closed holocron. She didn't quite want to snap him out of his stupor, but she needed to know something. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Luke took a shaky breath and grabbed her hand, removing it from his shoulder but continuing to hold it in his own. He didn't quite know what to say. Before that moment, the only thing he ever concretely knew about his father was his name. Luke grew up being told his father was a cargo pilot on a spice freighter. Then he ran into Ben Kenobi who told him his father was a Jedi Knight who fought in the infamous Clone Wars. Then he had been told that Darth Vader was his father. It had been a little difficult to stomach. And now Luke sat in a cave on a tropical planet with the daughter of Ben Kenobi watching a hologram of the father he grew up without.

"I think. . . I think I just need a minute." His voice was small and unsure as he cast his eyes downwards to his hands still wrapped around Kal's like it was an anchor. Biting her lip, she didn't say anything. Luke sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "It's just, I've been lied to my whole life about my parents, and then you and your dad come along and tell me-show me who he really was. And even then, Ben had lied."

Kal's heart ached as she looked at him. "Luke-"

"Thank you." Luke's voice cut her off as he turned his gaze to hers. "Thank you for everything. For teaching me. For believing in me. For showing me this recording. Thank you." Leia stood abruptly, pulling herself out of her own thoughts and moving quickly away from the couple. "Leia."

Kal stopped him from following after his sister. "Let me. I know a few things about boiling anger." Kal called the holocron to her and crossed the cave to where Leia had gone. The Alderaanian princess leaned on the cave wall, staring at the floor. Kal could feel the woman's rage being bottled in her small body. "Leia-"

"I'm fine," Leia interrupted.

Sighing, Kal leaned on the rock next to Leia. "Just listen. I know how it feels to be told one thing your whole life and then have the truth erupt right in front of you. You have a million questions swarming your mind right now and all you can wonder is, 'Why? Why me? Why him? Why did this happen? How could this happen? Why hadn't I been told?' But there is no answer that will please you, I promise. And when you come to terms with that, you'll look for an outlet for your anger. You can bury yourself in work or training all you want, but that won't work either. Acceptance and moving forward is the only solution."

Leia scoffed. "Acceptance? How can I accept that my father killed who knows how many people? He terrorized trillions on top of that."

Leia's words didn't seem too different from Kal's own when angry at her own father. "Your father was Anakin Skywalker, not Darth Vader. My dad told me wonderful stories about Anakin, but I never understood how he could still love him like a brother after everything he had done and what he had become. Anger, grief, and fear can do terrible things to someone, especially Force-users, and Anakin had drowned in it. The good man that was Anakin Skywalker got shoved deep inside the machine that was Darth Vader. What sent him down his dark path was family and that was exactly what brought him back." Holding up the holocron, Kal continued. "This holocron is one of many things that defined who Anakin truly was as a person and not a pawn twisted and manipulated for the whims of the Emperor. You can take what you will and choose whether to accept what I've told you and move on or not. Acceptance is not the same as forgiveness."

The shorter woman's eyes flicked up to Kal's. "When did you become so wise?" Leia asked with a slight uptick in her voice.

"Motherhood changes you."

Those three words brought a smile to Leia's face as she brought a hand to rest on her stomach. "I guess I'll know soon, won't I? Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Kal tried to brush off. She believed she didn't deserve the gratitude. She was pushy, arrogant, rude, and impulsive. She had killed people for a living. She lied and deceived people. Luke and Leia didn't seem to see any of that though. All they saw was a young woman trying to do some good by doing the only things she knew how.

Leia grinned and nodded at her. "I know I don't have to, but I'm going to anyway."

Despite everything, Kal couldn't help but smile back. A specific holocron recording then popped into her mind, one she thought Leia and Luke should see. "There's one recording I think you should see, but I want you to open it."

Leia's head bobbed up and down, completely willing. "Yeah, okay."

"Go take a seat. I'll get it." Leia left Kal's side to join Luke once again on the floor as Kal put back the holocron of Anakin teaching and grabbed her favorite one. Kal set the new holocron down in between Luke and Leia who were facing each other and then sat next to Luke. "Go ahead." She nodded to Leia.

Kal set her head on Luke's shoulder. Luke wrapped his arm around her and the two smiled at each other then looked back to the new holocron ready and waiting to be opened. Luke was excited to see what she had picked out. Leia was more worried but ready to know more about where she had truly come from.

Taking a deep breath, Leia reached out through the Force. The corners of the holocron twisted and pulled apart, suspending the center of the cube in the air.

"Another successful victory at the hands of the Negotiator and the Hero With No Fear," the holocron echoed as a holographic image of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker was displayed and slowly turned. "High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker led the relief mission to the crystalline planet Christophsis, rescuing Senator Bail Organa of the planet Alderaan and the Republic forces who were trapped on the planet due to the Separatist blockade. General Skywalker broke the Separatist blockade against Admiral Trench. Together, they secured the planet from the Separatists, and General Kenobi captured the elusive General Whorm Loathsom. General Loathsom is now on trial for treason against the Galactic Republic and Christophsis is under the Republic's protection. Where would the Republic be without its Jedi protectors?"

As the holocron closed, Luke looked at Kal. "That's what Ben used to look like?" he jokingly asked.

Kal snorted, laughed, and picked up her head, not offended. Even she had to admit that her dad really seemed to have changed quite a bit in twenty years, but the war had been hard and so was two suns constantly beating down on fair skin. "Hard to believe, right? But yeah, he was a real galactic hero with your father. The HoloNet liked to use them as symbols of the war, even gave them nicknames. My dad was known as someone who could stop a battle without even lifting his lightsaber. Yours had a knack for running headfirst into danger."

Twisting her hands, Kal thought of the stories her dad used to tell her about the war. "He used to talk a lot about your dad. He said that he was the best pilot he'd ever seen and that he'd saved his life many times, even though it was often your dad's fault that my dad needing saving in the first place. They were like brothers once Anakin became a Jedi Knight at the start of the war. No one fought better together than they had. They brought out the best in each other. My dad grounded yours, while yours made mine more daring. They were also the only ones who really knew about each other's secret lovers." Kal rolled her eyes with a smile.

"What do you mean by 'secret lovers?'" Leia asked. Luke looked curious as well. Kal then remembered that she had never told either them, especially Luke, about where love had fallen within the Jedi Order.

"Love is forbidden to the Jedi. Attachment, in general, is forbidden. Marriage and children were only allowed in special circumstances. My dad told me Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was Cerean, and his species has a low birth rate, so he was granted permission to have multiple wives and multiple children as long as he remained able to do his duty. But, as you can tell, we are alive. Both our fathers broke the code and fell in love. According to my dad, yours didn't hide it very well, and considering Ahsoka's shock to finding out who I'm the daughter of, mine hide it better."

Luke and Leia had long been told about attachment being forbidden, but neither believed it would've extended to include love. "So both Anakin and Obi-Wan had broken the code," Leia said to herself. "Do you know about our mother?"

Kal's eyebrows pinched together. "Senator Organa never told you anything?"

Leia shook her head. "No. He always said it was for my safety. I thought I remembered her from when I was little, but Luke said she died in childbirth, so I guess I wasn't actually remembering her."

Thinking over it, Kal shrugged. "It's possible either way. You both are incredibly powerful in the Force. Luke seemed to have a stronger Force connection with Anakin than you, so it's possible you might've had a stronger Force connection with her. Either that or someone was around you when you were young and took care of you for long periods of time and that imprinted on you, made you think that was your mother."

"Ben said you'd be able to tell me about her when I was ready," Luke said. "I think he meant for once we found out you were pregnant, but could you tell us now?"

"Of course." Kal smiled at the two of them. She was ready to finally be able to tell them about their mother and the connection they had between their families which extended further than simply their fathers. "She was born Padmé Naberrie, but her regal name was Amidala."

"Regal name?" Luke half-expected Kal to laugh at him or to tell him she was joking. Was she implying what he thought she was implying?

She could tell by the look he was giving her that he was not amused. "I'm not pulling your leg. Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo. She was the former elected queen, one of the youngest queens might I add, before she became a senator. Apparently, the people of Naboo loved her so much they wanted to change the law to allow her to continue serving as queen."

"My dad told me about her," Leia revealed, a look of enlightenment donning upon her. "I always thought he only brought her up as an example of a great politician, someone who actually cared about the people they served. He was telling me about my mom and I had no idea." Leia's shoulders slouched as a smile pulled at her lips. "He told me about her bravery and passion, and that they had been good friends."

Kal leaned forward and patted Leia's knee. "That's why he took you in. He always wanted a daughter. Who better to raise as his own than the daughter of one of his closest friends?"

Luke recognized the light in Kal's eyes as she talked. It was the light of hope and love and admiration. "How do you know so much about her?" His question drew in Leia as well.

Kal bowed her head, looking at her hands and picking at her nails. It was time. "My mother was her handmaiden. They were like sisters. They did almost everything together and they protected each other. Then my mother died for her." Cattleya Aput's death was something that her dad had refused to talk about. Kal had to get it from Rex and Ahsoka. She understood why her dad couldn't talk about it, but it didn't make her feel any better learning the conditions later in life.

The news hit the twins like a torpedo. Placing a comforting hand on her forearm as he pulled her closer, Luke started to speak. "Kal, I-"

She knew what he was going to say. She didn't want to hear it. He didn't need to say it. "It's okay, Luke. I don't blame either of you. I don't blame your mom. Mine made her choice, and she did her duty. Without it, you wouldn't be here. It's okay. I wish we could've met them all."

Leia chuckled and said, "Yeah, wonder what that would've been like. Maybe we would've grown up together."

Kal nudged her with her foot. "Hidden away on Naboo because our dads would've been expelled from the Order if the Jedi Council found out."

"How did they meet?" Leia asked. "Our parents. All of them."

"It started on Naboo," Kal told them. "My dad was ordered to go there for a mission."

"Did he go because of the war?" Luke wondered.

Kal shook her head. "Oh, no, no. He went ten years before the war started. That's when he met your parents and my mother." She leaned comfortably back in her seat.

"Really?" Luke asked, surprised. "But-"

"Yes, your dad is from Tatooine," Kal assured, realizing her wording had been poor. "When my dad was a padawan, he and his master, Master Qui-Gon Jinn, were sent on a diplomatic mission to Naboo who was having a dispute with the Trade Federation." Luke relaxed and completely focused whole-heartedly on her story. He had never known anything about his parents and now there was his wife telling him everything he had ever yearned to know. Leia hadn't heard the story before either and leaned forward on her knees. If her aunts could see her, they would've scolded her for unladylike posture.

"The Federation tried to kill them," Kal continued, "but they escaped down to the planet and rescued your mom, who was queen at the time, and her handmaidens, including my mom. They made it through the blockade surrounding the planet, but their ship was damaged in the fight. The closest planet where they could set down, make repairs, and get supplies was Tatooine. Your dad was a young slave who had a knack for podracing due to his Force-sensitivity. He won his freedom and the parts needed for the ship because Master Qui-Gon was gambling with his owner. Eventually, they made it to Coruscant. Your dad was brought before the Jedi Council and your mom pleaded to the Senate to help her planet."

"Then what happened?" Luke prodded, pulling his legs up underneath him.

Kal smiled at Luke's excitement and investment in the story then noticed Leia had the exact same expression but simply wasn't as jittery. "The Senate didn't do anything, but your mom decided to go back to Naboo and take care of the Trade Federation herself."

"Alone?"

Kal laughed. "I think you got your stubborn heroism from her." Luke blushed, ducking his head down and Leia let out a laugh. The more he got embarrassed or bashful, the more Kal wanted to see it. Simple moments needed to be cherished.

"I'm assuming she succeeded?" Leia inquired.

"She succeeded at a lot of things," Kal told her with a nod. "She was the first queen to bridge the hostilities between the Naboo and the Gungans." She chuckled at Luke's confused expression. "There are two groups who live on Naboo. The first is the indigenous Gungans. They live in the water. The other is the Naboo, the humans who immigrated to the planet and live on the land. For years, the groups hated each other. But your mom approached the Gungans and made peace with them in order to defeat the Federation who had invaded. The Gungans had an army, and they drew out the droid army of the Federation while our parents infiltrated the capital city, Theed. Your dad ended up blowing up the droid command center that was part of the blockade. Our moms captured the viceroy of the Federation. My dad defeated the first Sith in like a thousand years."

Utterly shocked, Luke leaned back. "Woah," he breathed out.

"Yeah. I couldn't talk about anything else for two days after my dad told me that story."

"They must have been vastly out-manned and out-gunned if the Trade Federation had a droid army plus their own people," Leia pointed out with excitement. "Nothing would've been on their side except for maybe knowing the land better than the invaders. And you said our mom was one of the youngest queens? And your dad was still a padawan? Even experience wasn't on their side. And they still-that's amazing."

"It almost sounds familiar."


	40. Long Live

8 ABY

After moving on from Ajan Kloss, Luke, Kal, and the ever-growing twins moved to the remains of the Rebel Base on Yavin 4 after the Empire finally surrendered after the Battle of Jakku and the Galactic Concordance was signed in 5 ABY. The New Republic had officially won the Galactic Civil War. Mon Mothma had deservingly been named Chancellor and was the new government's first head of state, and the first capital was located on her homeworld of Chandrila.

Leia resumed her role from the Imperial Senate as a senator for the Alderaan sector after completing her training with Kal and Luke. Despite finishing her training, Leia decided she wanted very little to do with being a Jedi due to a vision she had regarding her unborn son, so she passed on her lightsaber to Luke, telling him that someone would wield it one day, but it wouldn't be her. Leia then gave birth to her son on the day the Galactic Concordance was signed whom she and Han named Ben to honor Obi-Wan's role in aiding the rebellion with Kal's blessing. Kal was reluctant to give it, but eventually, with Luke's convincing, she did, hoping that Ben Solo had a long, prosperous life filled with joy and love that her father had never truly gotten.

Wedge had joined the New Republic military as the chief instructor for the Hosnian Prime flight academy and had gotten married to a pilot named Norra Wexley who joined the academy as an instructor, and her son Temmin, or Snap as he preferred, became one of the academy's first students.

Lando had also settled down back on Bespin after the Empire was dissolved. He wasn't a military man, so he left that to everyone who had the heart for it. He was a businessman, not a military dog.

Hobbie, on the other hand, preferred to continue not being tied down to any one person or place but had readily joined the New Republic Defense Fleet to continue piloting X-wings. His only true love was flying and shooting things.

Boba kept in touch as he continued bounty hunting. However, he didn't take on any jobs that hurt the budding New Republic, sticking with ones related to pirates, gangsters, and other criminal syndicates that were still flourishing during the chaotic transition time. Occasionally, he also visited.

Sabine had disappeared all together which worried Kal, but she knew the Mandalorian could handle herself. There weren't many Mandalorians left after the Great Purge sometime before the Battle of Endor. Those who remained were scattered about the galaxy in hiding, but Kal had great faith in Sabine's ability to take care of herself.

During their time at the Great Temple on Yavin 4, Kal and Luke had decided it would be the place they would begin building the Jedi Order once more, much to the excitement of the colonists who had begun developing a settlement on the moon after the Battle of Endor. The first colonists were rebels Shara Bey and Kes Dameron, whom Luke had worked with at Echo Base on Hoth, and their son Poe, who was two years older than the twins.

At the age of four, Kelin and Karena started their Jedi training. Unofficially. Only basic Force techniques to help them control their abilities. Kal wanted them to have a childhood she hadn't gotten the chance to have but knew they needed to be well trained starting from a young age to lessen complications with their training later on. She had told Leia as much about young Ben, but Leia and Han wanted to wait, so Kal and Luke respected their wishes. Thankfully, for the potential normal childhood despite the age gap, the twins were able to play with another kid due to the Dameron's relatively close proximity. They didn't get to see Ben or Hera's son Jacen often.

Long gone were Luke and Kal's traveling outfits. They dressed like the Jedi Masters they were rather than the rebel fighters they had been. They were officially settled into their life on Yavin 4 as Jedi, working to recover Jedi artifacts and convert the Great Temple on Yavin 4 into the Jedi Praxeum, or Jedi Academy.

On one of the days Luke and Kal were cleaning up the Great Temple and making repairs, the holoterminal in the Communications Center began beeping, indicating an incoming message. Kal frowned as she stopped working on the overhead lighting. Hopping down from the precariously placed stones she had used as a poor excuse of a ladder, Kal went to the holoterminal and pressed the button to receive the transmission.

Sabine's blue form flickered into existence. "Kal, so glad I could get ahold of you," she greeted quickly. She didn't look much different from the last time Kal had seen her after the Battle of Jakku. Her hair had been kept short and dark purple, and she continued to take good care of her armor. "I-I need you on Lothal as soon as possible."

"What's this about?" Kal asked, mild worry clouding her voice.

Sabine glanced to the side, out of view of the holorecorder. "Um, I'll tell you when you get here. I'll transmit the coordinates. Just, uh, just hurry." The transmission then cut out, leaving Kal confused and stunned.

She took a few steps away from the holoterminal, processing what Sabine had told her, before hurrying out of the room to the main hangar bay where Luke was working and keeping the twins occupied with a few old Jedi puzzles that were found in Jocasta Nu's cache of Jedi artifacts that the old librarian had collected before she had unfortunately been killed.

Luke looked away from the control panel he was welding when he heard Kal's footsteps. Upon seeing her expression, he set down the torch on the cart next to him and pulled off the helmet. "Is everything alright?" he wondered.

"Just received a call from Sabine." Kal's face scrunched together as she walked over to him. "She didn't say why, but she wants me on Lothal as soon as possible. I'm not sure if I should be worried or not."

"Oh, well, do you want me to come with?"

"Maybe? Do you think the Dameron's would be okay with watching the twins?"

"I'll go check. Warm-up your ship." Luke gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before collecting the two four-year-olds playing with puzzles.

Kal started up the _Desert Dragon_ with Artoo and Gray, the seeker droid passing along the coordinates Sabine had sent. Soon enough, Luke returned from the Dameron farm without Kelin and Karena, so Kal was able to lift off and set a course for Lothal.

Once planetside, Kal went to the coordinates sent by Sabine, finding it to be an abandoned LothalNet comm tower. She spotted two figures standing outside the tower, but couldn't make out a clear look as she had to set down the ship. She couldn't sense anything bad or worrisome, only something familiar.

Luke followed closely behind her as they left the ship through the loading ramp with Artoo following behind and Gray staying with the ship.

"Ahsoka?" Kal whispered, freezing in place as she looked at the two figures waiting outside the tower. "Ahsoka!" Kal burst into a grin and ran ahead, launching herself at the older Togruta female. Luke stood back, watching the interaction. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Sabine simply smiled, happy to know she wasn't the only one who knew about Ahsoka being back.

Ahsoka hugged back. "Hello, Kaleena. It's good to see you again." Pulling away, Kal stared, taking in her presence. She looked older, wiser than she had been. Artoo sped over to the Togruta beeping wildly. Ahsoka knelt down next to the blue and white astromech. "Hey, Artooie. I missed you, too."

"You died," Kal finally said, shaking her head.

Ahsoka stood up straight and patted Kal's shoulder. "I know, and I'm sorry. I should've been dead, that's why I had to stay hidden. I couldn't interfere with the events of the galaxy."

"But how?" Kal had so many questions, but that seemed to be the most pressing one.

A fond smile tugged at Ahsoka's lips as she thought about what had happened years prior in the World Between Worlds. "Ezra saved me," Ahsoka told Kal. "It's hard to explain, but he pulled me through a time portal from the future. It was all incredibly strange and something I have very little understanding of."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Kal pulled her into another hug. She then remembered she hadn't gone to Lothal alone. She pulled back and looked at Luke. "Sorry, uh, this is Luke, Luke Skywalker."

Ahsoka silently appraised him. She had heard about the Hero of the Rebellion who had blown up the first Death Star and defeated Emperor Palpatine. His actions suited someone with the Skywalker name. _He looks so much like his father_ , she thought sadly. She didn't let her memories influence her expression, choosing instead to smirk at him. "So you're Skyguy Junior, huh?" Ahsoka said.

Luke looked taken aback, not quite knowing what that meant or how to respond. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

The Togruta chuckled softly. "That's what I used to call your father when I was his padawan. 'Skyguy.' He didn't particularly like it at first, but it grew on him. I'm Ahsoka Tano." She held out her hand.

He finally remembered hearing about Ahsoka from Kal many, many years prior when Kal had first begun training him. Anakin's padawan who had been betrayed by the Order that raised her. And the reason Kal had joined the rebellion in the first place. Luke gladly shook her hand. "Kal's told me a lot about you."

"I can tell you stories about your parents if you'd like. Kaleena has somewhere to be. I'm certain she'll be busy."

"I do?" Kal chimed in, her eyebrows pinching together and her nose scrunching up.

"You do," Sabine responded, crossing her arms over her chest amused. "Trust me. It's the reason we called you here."

Kal glanced between the Mandalorian and the former Jedi with a frown. "I'm not sure I like you being ominous."

Ahsoka gestured to the door of the comm tower with her head. "Come and you'll see."

Kal and Luke followed Sabine and Ahsoka into the comm tower and into the lift. As the lift began to rise, Kal sensed something familiar once again. And it wasn't Ahsoka. She breathed deeply and narrowed her eyes as she tried to place the familiar sensation.

Luke noticed her shift. "What is it?" he asked, reaching over to grab her hand.

"I sense something. . . familiar," she told him quietly. Sabine and Ahsoka smirked to themselves, but Luke and Kal didn't notice.

The turbolift slid to a stop at the top level of the comm tower and the door opened. Kal walked out first, intent on figuring out what she was sensing and immediately stopped in her path when her eyes landed on someone she hadn't seen since before the fall of the Empire. There Ezra Bridger sat, bandaged, and upright on a makeshift bed. "Ezra?" Kal blurted.

The boy, well, now a man, smiled. His hair was longer than it had been when he and Kal first met and he looked tired, but he was still able to muster a smile for an old friend. "Look what the loth-cat dragged in," he joked.

"I thought you were dead." Without a second thought, Kal went over and hugged him. She felt him wince and pulled away quickly. "Oh, sorry. You're alive. I can't believe you're alive." Kal glanced back at Ahsoka and Sabine. "Is there anyone else mysteriously returning from beyond the grave?"

"No," Ahsoka replied, shaking her head. "At least from what I know."

"I was just lost in the Unknown Regions," Ezra explained. "I'm disappointed to learn you thought I had died. Sabine never gave up hope."

Kal rolled her eyes. "That's because you two are in love with each other, while you and I were miscreants involved with a pirate."

That brought back fun memories for the pair. "I kinda miss Hondo."

"I don't," Kal said, grimacing. "He tricked me into hijacking a ship."

"You what?" Luke questioned from where he still stood by the door to the lift.

Kal waved her hand, brushing away the thought. "That's a story for another day." She gestured to the blond while looking at Ezra. "Ezra, meet my husband, Luke Skywalker. Luke, this is Ezra Bridger."

The name was familiar to Ezra. "Skywalker? Like Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka's former master?"

Luke nodded. "Yes, he's my father."

Ezra turned back to Kal. "What exactly have you been up to all these years?"

There was one simple answer. "Rebuilding." Kal addressed Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka together. "You needed to show me something. Now there's something I need to show you."

Ahsoka, Luke, and Artoo went on Ahsoka's ship to travel to Yavin 4 with Ahsoka promising to tell him stories about her time as a padawan and her experiences with Anakin and Padmé on the trip through hyperspace while Sabine and Ezra went with Kal on the _Desert Dragon_.

"When did you get a ship?" Ezra asked after they entered hyperspace. The three humans sat in the galley around the dejarik table and Gray sat on the charger nearby, keeping his watchful eye on his master and her friends.

"I killed the owner," Kal answered.

A beat passed. "Really?"

Kal shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, did you ever hear about the bounty hunter Dengar? Complete bastard. Killed him when Luke and I were rescuing our friends from Jabba's Palace on Tatooine. And he didn't need his ship after that. Gave her a nice paint job from red to blue and renamed her _Desert Dragon_. What else do you want to know?"

Ezra thought about it for a moment before he finally thought of a question. "Since when did you get married?"

"You're only shocked because the last time you saw me we were still practically kids."

"You need to meet her kids," Sabine told him. "They're adorable."

"Kids?" Ezra glanced between the two women then settled his eyes on Kal. "As in plural? Like more than one? You have kids? I feel bad for them."

Kal glared at him. "The only reason I'm not smacking you is because you look like you went through hell and back. And yes, Luke and I have children. Two, twins, Kelin and Karena. They're four years old."

"What happened to Jedi not being allowed to have attachments?" Ezra wondered, leaning back in his seat. "Obviously, it's not much of a thing now, but Anakin Skywalker? He had a son?"

"And a daughter," Kal pitched in helpfully. "Also twins."

"And a daughter?"

"You've met her," Sabina said. He simply looked confused, so she sighed. "Leia Organa."

"The princess? I'm out of it for a few years and I come back to everything twisted and strange."

When the two ships finally landed on Yavin 4 outside the Great Temple, the groups disembarked. Ezra looked up at the temple and smiled. "It's just as beautiful as I remember," he said. "But what are we doing here? It's not a rebel base anymore."

"No, it's something better," Luke told him.

"A Jedi Temple," Ahsoka realized. "I've heard rumors of the Order being rebuilt. I suppose they were true."

Kal nodded. "Yeah, we've been collecting artifacts across the galaxy, making contact with some Force-users, finding old Jedi ruins, gathering all the holocrons and relics from the old temples on Coruscant and other planets. When not here fixing this temple up to suit our needs, at least one of us is traveling, trying to piece together the Order. Slow going, but worth it."

Luke wrapped his arm around Kal, pulling her close and placing a kiss on her temple. "Why don't you show them around? I'll fetch the twins."

"You heard him. Follow me." Kal waved at them to follow her, Gray zooming ahead with excited beeps. Luke watched as they entered the Great Temple before he left with Artoo to travel to the Dameron's farmstead.

While the layout of the temple was familiar to Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine as they had all been rebels and had visited the base that had been established, Kal showed them where certain bases of operations were. She showed them to the personal quarters, the Communications Center, the training grounds, and most importantly, where they planned to have the High Council Chambers in the main throne room where Luke, Kal, and Han had been awarded their Medals of Bravery by the rebellion.

Furnishing much of the temple had come from Kal's accrued credits from her days as a bounty hunter. During that time, she had only spent money on clothing, weaponry, food, and room accommodations due to her comfort with the bare minimum lifestyle she had held with her father which was characteristic of Jedi. Leia and other former Alderaanians donated funding, furniture, and artwork that had been from the planet as a way to keep the planet alive, especially for all that Bail Organa had done to keep the Order alive.

In the High Council Chambers were twelve chairs in a circle around a large table with a holoprojecter at the center. The table had been emblazoned with the Jedi Order symbol.

Ahsoka ran her hand over the table. "It's beautiful," she whispered, staring down at the artwork.

"We've, uh, had some time on our hands," Kal said simply. "It hasn't all been hard work and no play."

"It looks amazing," Ezra told her. "Everything does. I think Kanan would agree."

Kal's eyes flicked to Sabine. "I was hoping to enlist some help from an artist. Not for in here. Luke and I agreed that this room is too beautiful to change, but instead, the main hall where people will come and go. Something to commemorate the fallen. Kanan, Yoda, my dad, Anakin. . ." She trailed off.

Ahsoka nodded with a smile. "I like that idea. At the temple on Coruscant, statues and busts were erected to remember the founders and the Jedi who made great impacts on the Order."

"I have a few ideas in mind," Sabine assured. "I'd love to help. I'll need some help with supplies, but I'd be honored."

Ezra stepped up to Kal's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If you'd have me, I'd like to help rebuild the Jedi Order. It's what Kanan and I were thinking about trying. Lothal doesn't need a lone protector anymore with the New Republic, but the galaxy needs the Jedi again."

"Of course, Ezra. We'd love to have you." Kal looked to Ahsoka. "And you know, there are twelve spots. Plenty of open seating. We want to be better than before, but we'll need all the help we can get."

"That was a lot of words for, 'Ahsoka, join,'" Ahsoka said with a soft laugh which made the others smile. "Yes, I'll help in any way I can."

"Mama!" two voices squealed. The group by the table turned to see two small children running towards them from the entrance to the chamber.

Kal knelt and held out her arms, prepared for the attack from the twins. She picked them up in one swift motion. "Oh, I missed you," she told them, giving them both a kiss on their cheeks. Luke joined the group with an amused grin as Kal turned to the others with her children in her arms. "This is Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine." She knew they wouldn't remember Sabine because it had been about two years since they had last seen the Mandalorian. "What do you say?"

"Hi!" Kelin greeted with an excited wave.

"Hello," Karena said quietly, resting her head in the crook of Kal's neck.

"Ezra, Ahsoka, this is Kelin and Karena," Kal said, gesturing with her head to the appropriate twin. Karena's hair was still the bright blonde she had been born with while Kelin's had lightened in the sun over time but still stayed his brown. And they continued to share their father's and grandfather's beautiful blue eyes. "Other than Leia, these two are our first students."

"You've already begun training them?" Ezra asked.

"Just basics," Luke replied. "Teaching them how to control it. No strict training regiment started at two years old."

Ezra looked appalled. "Wait, the Jedi used to do that?"

"Yes," Ahsoka answered. "We were found across the galaxy as infants and brought to Coruscant to begin training. Remember when the Inquisitors were kidnapping children?" Ezra nodded, frowning. "Sort of like that, but it was largely considered an honor and a privilege. Parents willingly handed over their children to be trained. They didn't have to, but most did."

"That sounds like a nightmare," Ezra muttered.

Kal, an idea popping into her head that had nothing to do with younglings, bent down to set the twins back on the floor. "Go play with Artoo and Gray." Gray perked up from his spot resting on the table, not particularly liking what his master said, but flew away with Artoo and the waddling kids anyway.

"I know that look," Sabine said, eyeing Kal who turned back to them. "What are you thinking?"

"A few things." Kal crossed her arms over her chest. "First, we do need to figure out how we'll be recruiting. Luke and I have already made contact with a few Force-users over the years, and Leia has assured us that she'll point any Force-sensitives she comes across our way. But how else do we go about it?"

Sabine nodded with a sigh. "You're right. Waiting for people to show up isn't a good practice. You'll need to be more proactive with searching out potential students."

Ahsoka folded her arms over her chest, looking contemplative. "We can look for the kyber memory crystal that the Jedi Order had used, or we can try to make a new one."

"Kyber memory crystal?" Luke repeated.

"It was a well-guarded kyber crystal that had all known and future Force-sensitive children in the galaxy," Ahsoka explained. "It could only be read when combined with a Jedi holocron stored in the Holocron Vaults in the temple on Coruscant. Members of the Council would read it and then pass off names to Jedi seekers like Master Plo Koon, the master who had brought me to Coruscant."

"Am I the only one that thinks that's a bad idea?" Ezra asked.

"No, you're right," Kal agreed. "That's too much power in the hands of, what, two people? The old Order was often blinded by it's hubris. We need to be better."

"What about working with local governments?" Luke suggested. "I'm not saying registration, but if people believe they or their children are Force-sensitive, they can go to their local representative about contacting us. That way it will be completely voluntary, and we can start recruiting from younger ages if they so choose. And no one will be tempted to steal a list of all Force-sensitives."

Ahsoka nodded, thinking it over. "That would be the wiser course of action. It may not raise up our numbers as quickly, but it will keep a positive outlook on the Order. I'd argue that's a better outcome."

Kal glanced around at her fellow Jedi. "Well, I guess this is where we start being a Council. All in favor?" She raised her hand and the others did as well.

Sabine looked on, amused at the Jedi lifting their hands and officially voting. "So proud. I remember when I only knew one Jedi."

"Speaking of Kanan, Luke," Kal turned to face her husband, "Sabine agreed to paint a mural for the fallen Jedi in the main hall."

Luke grinned broadly. "Fantastic. Thank you, Sabine. We'll probably need to figure out what we want on it."

"Do you have holos of fallen Jedi?" Sabine asked Kal and Ahsoka.

"In holocrons, yes," Kal answered. "I can show them to you. You want their likenesses, don't you?"

"Exactly," Sabine said, gesturing with her hands and nodding. "I was thinking about painting all of their faces, or not all because that's a lot, in front of the Jedi symbol and a rising sun, sort of like a rebirth, you know? We can have the ones you named, Kanan, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin, plus others that were important to the Order, were on the Council, were founding members, people like that."

"I can get started on a list of Jedi I remember that were responsible for major turning points in the Order's history," Ahsoka said. "As well as ones who made huge impacts during the Clone War. Periods of peace don't usually breed legacy names. And if we want to include Jedi we don't have holos of, we can look at old statues and murals at other temples."

"Once we have that list, I can take you to where we're storing the holocrons," Kal continued.

"You mean they're not here?" Ahsoka asked.

Luke shook his head. "No, we decided to continue using a hideout Kal had set up for the holocrons she had liberated years ago, sort of as a contingency in case something happens to the temple. We may be in a period of relative peace, but we're still building. Storing the holocrons here would be a poor decision."

"And only four people know of the location," Kal added. "And it's more secured than it used to be. We've added a few safety mechanisms in the last few years. We figured we'd only show people as they complete their training or have our complete trust, at least until we have more strength and numbers."

"Understandable," Ezra said. "Wouldn't want someone exploiting the treasure trove before we even have the ability to keep it fully secure."

"I have a few holocrons I can add to the collection," Ahsoka included. "You're wise to keep them separate. These are still troubled times."

"Also, with you two agreeing to join our efforts, you are free to have your own quarters in the temple, if you'd like," Kal said, gesturing to their surroundings. "I don't expect you all to be here all the time, but when you are, you'll at least be comfortable." She glanced at Sabine and Ezra. "I'm assuming you'll want to share?" Both blushed and ducked their heads down, making Kal grin broadly. "Too easy."

Ahsoka then brought the topic back to focus. "Thank you both. Your fathers would be proud. But while we're talking about our numbers, we should discuss the Council. There were certain titles, responsibilities, and term limits, and also more than one council."

Kal shrugged, folding her arms around her torso. "I didn't learn much about that from Dad. He focused more on things necessary for training and specialization."

"Well, there were four councils," Ahsoka explained, leaning against the table as the others listened. "The Council of Reassignment worked with the Service Corps for reassigning Jedi who did not pass the trials. The Council of First Knowledge worked on the curriculum and the Jedi Archives. The Council of Reconciliation worked with the Senate and Diplomatic Corps to settle interplanetary disputes. The Jedi High Council ruled over the Jedi Order and were advisors to the Supreme Chancellor. For our purposes right now, we'll focus on just the High Council then slowly add the others. But within the High Council, there were five-lifetime members, four long-term members, and three limited-term members, all of whom were appointed unanimously. On the Council were the Grand Master, the head of the Order who was usually deemed the wisest, and the Master of the Order, the leader of the Council and the Chancellor's chief military advisor. Sometimes they were the same person, sometimes not."

Kal pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned quietly. "No wonder he didn't tell me. That's a headache."

"There's a lot to consider when rebuilding the Order. It's not just training younglings."

Kal picked her head back up. "At least we're not alone in this."

"The Master of the Order will never be alone." Ahsoka held Kal's gaze.

For a few moments, Kal had no clue as to why Ahsoka was staring particularly at her, but the others figured it out quickly. When she finally realized, she shook her head made various disagreement motions with her hands. "No, nuh-uh, I'm not the Master of the Order."

"This was all your idea," Ezra pointed out. "We wouldn't be here without you."

"But I'm not-I'm not a-"

"A military advisor?" Sabine offered. "A leader of a small group of people? More knowledgeable about the Order? Someone who has gone through more efforts to preserve the Order than everybody else? Yeah, okay, Kal. You're in denial."

Kal glanced around at everyone, then focused on Luke who gave her a reassuring smile. "You're the Master of the Order," Luke told her. "You're who we've all been turning to. Accept it."

"Oh, I don't like this," she muttered, rubbing her head.

Sabine patted her on the shoulder. "It's just another title on your already impressive resume."

"Then who's the Grand Master?" Kal asked. "Because I am not taking both titles and there is no way you can make me."

Ahsoka looked to the blonde man beside her. "The other person who has gone through such painstaking trouble to rebuild and faced the Sith, of course."

Luke's expression shifted into confusion. "Me? The Grand Master?"

Kal gave him a cheeky grin and repeated his words to her. "Accept it."

* * *

9 ABY

A year passed with Ezra and Ahsoka reaching out to governments and traveling, taking some of the load of responsibilities off of Kal and Luke. They were grateful as they had two kids to raise on top of their budding Jedi Order responsibilities.

On one of the days where Luke had gone to check in on Han and Leia on Chandrila and Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka were out helping the New Republic or searching out Force-sensitives, Kal sat in the courtyard with Gray, Kelin, and Karena, passing a ball between the Force-users using only the Force in order to help strengthen their control. The twins loved using the Force and Gray enjoyed knocking the ball off course so one of them would have to correct it.

At age five, the twins loved using the Force and working on machines like Gray, Artoo, and their parent's ships. Karena was the quieter of the two and Kelin relaxed more around his sister. Both were busy-bodies.

But on the day in question, Gray stopped flying around in glee and parked himself in front of Kal. With a few beeps, Kal looked down at the translator on her wrist. _Incoming ship = unknown_. Frowning, Kal sent the kids inside with Gray to one of their rooms to play. She wasn't expecting visitors, and if she was, all visitors were known to their sensor systems in place.

Through the trees, Kal spotted an incoming S-161 "Stinger" XL luxury yacht. She didn't recognize it. And if it belonged to her friends, they would've contacted Kal or Luke ahead of time to inform them of their visit on a new ship.

Kal intentionally hid her lightsaber on the back of her utility belt in case the newcomers didn't know who she was and so she would have the element of surprise in case something bad happened with them. Unfortunately, she didn't have her cloak on to hide it better. Her hair blew in the wind created by the landing ship and she stood tall, waiting for the crew to disembark. She could feel Force-sensitives aboard and something she hadn't ever felt before.

The loading ramp opened and down walked a human female, a human male, a BD unit droid, a Latero male, and a Nightsister. Kal made herself not show confusion, or any emotion for that matter, at the presence of the Nightsister. She had never seen one in person before, and historically, they spelled trouble.

"Who are you?" Kal asked once they stopped a short distance in front of her.

"We could ask the same thing," the Latero countered.

The older, dark-skinned human female, hit him on the shoulder then looked back at Kal. "We were told this place is where the Jedi Order is being rebuilt," the graying woman said. "Is that true?"

Kal nodded slowly, eyeing the strange group. "Are you here to learn or to help?"

"To help," she replied. She walked forward, holding out her hand. "Cere Junda. I was a Jedi Knight during the Clone War." Kal felt no ill-will and only honesty through the Force.

Kal, with a slight uplift in her eyebrows, shook the older woman's hand. "Kaleena, daughter of Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Cere took a step back, stunned. "Are you serious? Master Kenobi?"

"Yes, he trained me in exile on Tatooine."

"Is he here?"

Kal shook her head. "No, he was killed by Darth Vader shortly before the Battle of Yavin."

Cere donned a saddened expression. "I'm sorry to hear that. He was a brilliant Jedi." Kal glanced over at the others and Cere noticed. Cere gestured for them to come forward. "This is my crew." She pointed to the red-headed human male who seemed to be about the same age as Ahsoka. "Cal Kestis, he was a padawan during the war." Next, she pointed to the Latero. "Greez Dritus, the pilot of the _Mantis_." Then she pointed to the Nightsister. "Merrin, a Nightsister." The droid beeped from his spot next to Cal. "And BD-1."

Kal studied the ragtag group then said, "Welcome to the Jedi Praxeum. Let me show you around."

Kal showed the group around the Great Temple that they were still in the process of converting into a Jedi academy. She showed them the individual quarters, the mess hall, the training grounds, the study rooms: everything. She felt good things about them through the Force.

"It's so. . . empty," Cal noted, as they walked through a hall. Kal knew people were going to have a difficult time with two Kal's/Cal's.

"Well, there's only a few of us so far," Kal told him. "The others are off-world except-" The comm on her wrist began beeping. "Pardon me." She took a few steps away from the group, not intending to be out of hearing range, just wanting semi-privacy in case she needed to fully step away. Activating her comm, she said, "This is Kal."

"Hey, hunter," the voice greeted. She recognized it.

"What do you want, Wedge?" Kal asked.

"Is that any way to talk to your favorite person in all the galaxy?"

Quirking an eyebrow with a smirk, Kal chuckled. "Pretty sure that's Luke. What do you want?"

"Incoming present from our friends in the Senate. Get your ass out on the tarmac. Snap and I need help unloading."

"Copy that." She looked back at the newcomers. "You're welcome to mill around or come with me. Whichever." Kal then started towards the main hall and out of the temple. The group had decided to follow.

Parked outside the temple alongside the other ships was a large freighter. Wedge waved at the base of the loading ramp with a large grin. "Hey, hunter," he greeted as she walked towards him. The others stayed back, more curious than anything. "Where are the twins?"

"In one of the rooms," Kal replied. "What'd you bring me?"

"Why don't you come see? Snap is readying them now. Special delivery from the Temple on Coruscant."

Kal looked at him strangely then looked back to the newcomers. She gestured to Cere and waved her over. If anyone deserved to see something straight from the Jedi Temple, it was a Jedi Knight from the time of the Old Republic.

Cere hurried after Kal who followed Wedge into the ship and to the cargo hold. There was Snap Wexley, Wedge's step-son, moving a large box onto a repulsorlift as best he could without knocking it over. There were other crates as well, all of equal size, reaching Kal's hips in height. Kal smiled at the twenty-year-old man. "How are you, Snap? You get to fly the ship here?"

Snap turned to her and replied, "Yeah, it was how he convinced me to help him. Beats flight school. Come here. You'll like this." He waved his hand to beckon her closer to the box in front of him. Kal and Cere went closer to the box and watched as the young man opened it. Settled inside with padding to keep it unharmed was a bronzium bust of an alien Kal didn't recognize.

Cere, on the other hand, recognized it immediately. "That's Master Chon Actrion. This bust is from the Jedi Archives. Are all of these crates busts?"

"Yes, ma'am," Wedge answered. "A committee in the Senate is overseeing the removal of all remaining items still in the temple and having them shipped here or to storage facilities, until the New Jedi Order can make use of them. Since parts of the temple were destroyed or rebuilt during its time as the Imperial Palace, they feel it should no longer be a Jedi Temple."

"They have no objection from me," Kal said. "The temple was built on Sith ruins. It should never have been made into a Jedi Temple in the first place. The dark side clouded their judgment."

"That's why you're in charge." Wedge playfully winked. "Where do you want them?"

"Just bring them to the main hall for now. I'll ask Luke, Ezra, and Ahsoka for their input."

Kal, Cal, and Cere used the Force to carry crates into the Jedi Praxeum while Wedge, Merrin, and Greez used the repulsorlift pads to push them inside and Snap checked on the twins who were still with Gray.

"So how many of you are there?" Cal asked as he set down a crate by Kal.

"Four officially, but I have two children who are Force-sensitive," Kal replied. "You were a padawan, right? Who was your master?"

"Oh, uh, Jaro Tapal."

"Hm, can't say I know of him. Did you ever meet Ahsoka Tano or Caleb Dume?"

Cal recognized the names. "Yeah, I think they were in a class or two ahead of me. Master Skywalker and Master Billaba's padawans?" Kal nodded in response. "Are they alive, too?"

"Ahsoka is," Kal answered as they walked back out to the freighter. "Caleb, who went by Kanan after the purge, fought and gave his life for the rebellion, but his son Jacen lives on. I'm hoping to train him when we officially startup, but right now he's with his mom learning to fly. Ahsoka's in and out of here a lot. She doesn't like to sit in one place."

"I can imagine. I remember Master Skywalker. He was always on the move, too."

"Well, his son is much more laid back. You'll get to meet him, too, if you stay."

"I owe it to my master. It's what he would've wanted."


	41. The Mandalorian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 12/15/2020: This chapter has been edited to be more canon-compliant with The Mandalorian season 2. I love the show, so I wanted to make it as coherent as possible.

9 ABY

_Incoming transmission + Boba Fett = Urgent._

Kal frowned at the translation of Gray's announcement. She wasn't expecting any communications with Boba for at least two weeks. He had sent a message three days prior saying he was taking a high paying job on a backwater planet in the outer rim, so if she needed to reach him and he didn't answer to not be worried and he'd get back to her as soon as he was available. So why did he need her?

Cere looked up from her bowl of soup across from Kal. The older Jedi Knight glanced at the five-year-old twins sitting further down the table, both fiddling with droid parts instead of finishing their dinners. Cal, Merrin, and BD-1 were off-world on a mission, Sabine and Ezra were working on the mural in the entrance hall, Luke was tuning his X-wing, Greez was repairing the hyperdrive of the _Mantis_ , and Ahsoka had set out on her own mission that she hadn't fully disclosed to any of them, which left Cere and Kal at dinner with the Skywalker children. Cere could see the worry behind Kal's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Cere asked, setting the spoon in her bowl.

"Uh, I don't know," Kal muttered as she narrowed her eyes at her comlink. She pushed back her own bowl of soup a few inches and looked up at Cere. "Can you watch them? I need to check on something."

Cere nodded. "Of course."

Kal gestured for Gray to follow as she stood and hurried from the dining hall to the Communications Center. At the holoterminal, Kal ordered, "Patch him through." Gray whistled and flew forward, plugging into the terminal and allowing the bounty hunter's transmission through.

Boba Fett's form flickered into existence floating above the holoterminal in bright blue. It was strange to see his face and not the Mandalorian helmet she had grown used to, but unfortunately for him, his armor had been stolen four years prior. In between him trying to find the suit, he took on bounties to continue upkeep for his ship and life in general.

"It's good to see you, kid," he greeted with a small grin.

"Is something wrong?" Kal questioned, skipping over formalities due to her worry. "I didn't expect to hear from you for a while."

Her old mentor nodded slowly. "I'm alright, I promise. The job isn't what I expected, and that's precisely why I think you should come in." At Kal's confused expression, Boba moved to explain. "It's a job for one of the Imperial remnants. Two jobs actually. I'm transmitting the information now." The hologram moved as he pressed a button. The flickering form of Boba Fett disappeared to display someone in shiny Mandalorian armor. Male by the look of him. Kal had a brief hope that perhaps that was Boba's armor, but it dissipated quickly when she realized that the styling was different.

"This is a Mandalorian bounty hunter," Boba explained. "He along with every other hunter with ties to the new guild received a top priority job to acquire what the Imperials are calling the asset. No one knows what it looks like. We were given tracking fobs to find it." The Mandalorian hologram disappeared to show Boba again. "Unfortunately for the Empire, the Mandalorian went rogue and took the asset. Now, they've put a bounty on his head as well."

Kal placed her hands on her hips as she thought over what Boba had revealed. "I wonder what the Empire wants from this asset. Whatever it is, it can't be good." She looked back up at the hologram. "Do you still have the tracking fob?"

"Of course I do." The amusement in his voice was evident with his small smirk. "You want it?"

"Of course I do," Kal repeated with a sly grin. "I wouldn't mind one last hunt as long as it screws over the Empire."

"I thought you would. I'm almost to Yavin. See you soon." Boba's transmission then cut out.

With heavy limbs at the thought of bounty hunting again, Kal transferred all the data Boba had sent over to a datapad so she could look it over and show Luke before Boba arrived. As she picked the data pad up, she glanced at Gray. "You ready to hunt again, buddy?" Gray beeped and whistled, soaring around Kal in excitement, making her laugh. "Come on, let's go talk to Luke."

Kal made her way to the main landing zone with the sun shining down, datapad in hand, and droid settled on her shoulder. Luke turned away from one of the fusial thrust engines, sensing Kal's presence on her way over. He wiped his hands on a rag as he smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back. Despite seeing each other just about every day, they still smiled every time.

"What can I do for you on this fine day?" Luke asked with a large, cheeky grin.

She wanted to play into whatever he was thinking, but there were more important matters. "Just got a call from Boba." Kal held up the datapad. "He's on his way to hand off a tracking fob for an Imperial bounty."

Luke's eyebrows raised, and his smile dropped. "Imperial?"

"Mhmm." Kal nodded as she scrolled through the information from Boba. "Imperial remnant on Nevarro. In control by an Imperial warlord. Unknown name. Put out a dead or alive bounty on a living specimen that's fifty years of age. Unknown appearance, species, and name."

"But they know it's fifty years old?" Luke crossed his arms. "That's strange."

Kal shrugged and looked back at the datapad. "Apparently, a Mandalorian bounty hunter had returned it to the remnant but had a change of heart, stormed the safe house, and took off with the asset. There's now a bounty on him, too."

"Whatever the Empire wants with the, uh, asset could spell disaster for the New Republic. Should we tell Leia or Mothma?"

Shaking her head, Kal replied, "No, I'll go check out the remnant on Nevarro, shut them down, then go after the asset and the Mando to figure out why it's so highly prized and somehow convinced the Mando to break the hunter's creed. We don't need to worry the Senate if there's nothing to worry about."

Gray beeped and Kal looked at the translation. _Incoming ship = Slave 1_.

"There's Boba now."

A few minutes later, the gust of wind generated from Boba's landing ship knocked her hair off her shoulders. Luke had decided to head inside to check on Kelin and Karena so Kal could discuss the bounties with Boba alone. Bounty hunting was their field, not his.

"You sure you're up for this?" Boba asked as he departed his ship. Oh, how she wished he found his armor soon, but something in the Force made her pause briefly when looking at his ship. Someone else was on it. Then she realized what he had said.

Kal, displeased, glared at her old mentor and father figure as he came to a stop in front of her. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. It's not a normal hunt. I'm wiping out an Imperial remnant."

"That's what has me worried." Even concerned, Boba handed Kal the tracking fob. "I don't know where it was last seen, but I'm assuming you're going straight to Nevarro first anyway."

Kal studied the small, rectangular device in her hand. "You assume correctly. Once I'm done there, I'll plug it into my ship and find them." She slipped the device into one of the pouches on her belt. "This is as good a time as any to break out my hunting gear again. Marching into Imperial territory dressed in a tunic and cloak won't make it easier."

Boba grinned with a shake of his head. "Are the twins here?"

"Yes, Boba. And they've missed you." Smiling softly at him, she waved for him to follow.

"I can't stay for long," he said. "I've found a lead on my armor."

Kal looked over at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Word is there's a Mandalorian on Tatooine. Went there but wasn't able to find the old settlement, he's supposedly in, so I'll be heading back once I'm done here."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need."

The kids were still in the dining hall with Luke trying to convince them to put aside the droid parts and eat their dinner with Cere watching in amusement. But alas, Ezra had fed them too many sweets hours before for them to be hungry, so it was a lost cause. But the moment Boba walked into the room, they dropped the tools and parts and ran to the older bounty hunter, yelling, "Grandpa Boba!" as they jumped into his arms.

Kal, while greatly enjoying watching Boba interact with her children because it was the only time she had ever seen him drop his guard, relax, and have fun, had to get going. There was no telling what could happen on Nevarro before she arrived, so she had to hurry.

To blend in on Nevarro, she couldn't return to the yellow coat she had begun wearing in the last few months of her being a bounty hunter. Instead, Kal found the long black coat she had worn for years, putting it on over her leggings, leg harness belt, and a dark top. It felt strange to her to be wearing it again. The form-fitting, long coat had once been an important part of her identity. An old identity that she had long shed. After lacing up her boots and braiding her hair, she dug out the armor that Boba had once gifted her. The black armor to cover her left shoulder, forearm, and fist had a few bumps and scrapes from the use over the years but instilled in Kal's muscle memory was strapping it snuggly over her arm.

Taking in a few deep breaths, Kal was ready to go on one final hunt. This time for an Imperial warlord.

Luke, Kelin, Karena, and Boba said their goodbyes outside the _Desert Dragon_ as Gray warmed up the ship. Before long, Kal was flying off into the sky and then through hyperspace to Nevarro. The Rebel Alliance had tried to gain control of Nevarro during the civil war but hadn't managed to defeat the Imperials on the planet, losing every rebel sent there, so Kal wasn't surprised to learn of an Imperial planet on the volcanic world.

Hooking her lightsaber to the strap around her thigh to keep it hidden, Kal went to the main storage locker in the cargo hold and opened it up to reveal what remained of her hunting equipment. Two blaster pistols, a blaster rifle, a smoke grenade, and four thermal detonators. Grabbing the blaster pistols, Kal closed the storage locker and returned to the cockpit where Gray waited. Checking and cleaning the blasters while the ship flew through hyperspace, Kal used the Force to remain calm and collected no matter how much the idea of another bounty set her on edge.

Once the _Desert Dragon_ dropped out of hyperspace the following morning, Kal navigated her ship to a secluded cave. There was no way she was going to land in a hangar bay.

After leaving the ship with Gray to stand guard, Kal infiltrated the main city where Boba had informed her the location of the Bounty Hunters' Guild headquarters were for the planet, avoiding the front gate that Imps were guarding. The same city was also home to where the asset was supposed to be dropped off.

Upon entering the city, Kal walked through the streets far more tense than she had been before landing. Imperial stormtroopers were located everywhere. On city corners, every block, outside of shops, everywhere. The troopers eyed her as she passed by but none stopped her. They knew a bounty hunter at first glance. She had certainly gained muscle and a few scars since she had first started as a teenager.

Kal sauntered over to the cantina, but before she could enter, two stormtroopers, their armor dusty and stained, held up their hands. "This cantina is off-limits until further notice," the first troopers announced. "State your name and business."

With a minute wave of her hand, Kal said, "My presence has been requested by the Client."

"Your presence has been requested by the Client," the second trooper repeated.

Kal did it again. "You will let me pass."

"We will let you pass," the first trooper repeated. The troopers then stepped aside and opened the door for her to pass through.

Kal entered the cantina and four troopers in their spots around the cantina raised their blasters towards her. She lazily held up her hands and looked at the older man seated at the booth in the center of the room. "Blasters are unnecessary right now."

The older man, wearing a fancy coat and an Imperial medal, leaned back in his seat, succumbing to her Force persuasion. "Blasters are unnecessary." He turned to his troopers and motioned for them to lower their weapons.

Innocently smiling at the troopers, Kal walked towards the Imperial warlord and sat across from him. The troopers returned to attempting to look threatening at their posts around the room. "Thank you," Kal said to keep up appearances.

"Why are you here?" the Imperial warlord, known as the Client, asked the former bounty hunter.

With a wave of her hand, Kal requested, "Tell me about the asset."

"The asset is of great mystique and value to the Empire," the Client explained. "It is small, green, with large ears and eyes. Dr. Pershing was running tests on it and studying its potential."

The description immediately brought Master Yoda to her mind. Small, green, large ears and eyes. It fit the old Jedi Master perfectly. _Could the asset be a member of Yoda's species?_ It explained the lack of knowledge of the species name. Kal narrowed her eyes at the former Imperial officer. "Do you know where it is?"

The Imperial warlord looked at her indignantly, scrunching up his face. "Now why would I tell a lowly bounty hunter?"

For a brief second, Kal considered Force choking him but decided against it and waved her hand. "Tell me what you know of its location."

"It is here on Nevarro. I received word last night from a member of the Bounty Hunters' Guild named Greef Karga. He claims to have captured the Mandalorian and the asset. He is on his way here now."

Kal leaned forward against the table. It made her job a whole lot easier. "Hmm, when he arrives with his quarry, I will do business with the bounty hunter on your behalf. You will greet him, lead him over to me, then sit at the bar awaiting my next instruction, understand?" The Client nodded. "Good, I am in charge right now. Tell the droid I would like a drink." The Client went and sat at the bar and ordered Kal a drink from the bartender droid as she had ordered through the Force. Kal moved to the other side of the table to keep an eye on the door.

The bartender served Kal a small glass of a light blue, translucent alcohol. Whatever it was, Kal enjoyed sipping on it as she waited for the bounty hunter to arrive with his catch.

About ten minutes passed before the cantina door slid open. The Client stood from his spot at the bar and approached the newcomers: an older dark-skinned male, a muscular woman a few years older than Kal, a male in shiny Mandalorian armor, and a closed mobile pod. Kal was tempted to roll her eyes at the sight of the cuffs on the Mando's wrists. They weren't fully locked. Anyone with a trained eye could spot that, but the Imps didn't.

The three approached the Client. "Look what I brought you," the dark-skinned male said. "As promised."

The Imperial warlord caressed the Mandalorian's beskar armor. Kal felt sick at the sight of him touching the armor. No Imperial should ever be allowed to touch beskar after what they had done to the Mandalorians. "What exquisite craftsmanship. It is amazing how beautiful beskar can be when forged by its ancestral artisans. Can I offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative?"

"I would be obliged."

The Client gestured to the seat across from Kal. "Please sit. My associate will discuss business on my behalf." The Client then went to sit at the bar in silence.

The dark-skinned male, who Kal assumed was Greef Karga, shoved the Mandalorian into the booth, trying not to showcase his confused expression. The woman, however, didn't hide her confusion at all and began eyeing Kal suspiciously. Granted, she had been eyeing every Imp in the room with suspicion. The woman stayed standing as Greef sat down next to the Mandalorian, and two more stormtroopers entered the cantina. Kal could sense the displeasure stemming from the three with the presence of more troopers. Kal immediately knew they had planned on attacking the Imperials. She couldn't help but like them at the revelation.

"Those aren't necessary." Kal pointed to the Mandalorian's cuffs. Sensing his unease and shock, she grinned and leaned back in her seat, fingering the glass on the table. "You're not the first Mandalorian I've met, so excuse me for not shaking in my boots. You can just set the cuffs on the table."

Mando, as others called him with the lack of knowledge surrounding his true name, did as she said and completely undid the cuffs, setting them in between him and the strange woman where everyone could see.

"Did you kill the Mandalorian?" he asked.

Kal's face pinched together as she shook her head. "Oh, Force no. She's one of my closest friends," she explained, recalling the brightly colored Mandalorian female in her mind. "Clan Wren, House Vizsla." She noticed he didn't seem to react much to the first name drop, but the second got his attention. "My family has a history with the Mandalorians. Particularly House Kryze." That one he didn't seem to recognize. "I wish the fight against the Empire had ended before the Great Purge."

"But aren't you with-" Greef started to say, undoubtedly confused at her Imperial-sounding accent. Curse the accent.

"With these nerf-herders?" Kal interrupted, gesturing to the Imps around them. "No. The moment I'm done with them they'll be going to an early grave or a prison cell in the New Republic. Depends how I'm feeling."

Mando couldn't decide whether the strange woman was a problem or not. "So then what do you want?"

"The asset not in the hands of the Empire." Kal, pushing aside her drink, leaned forward on the table. "You see, I got a tip from my old bounty hunting mentor telling me that some Imperial warlord was wreaking havoc out here on Nevarro trying to get some asset. Don't know what it is or why it's so important, but I sure as hell don't plan on letting the Empire have it. So where is it?"

"It's right here," Greef told her, gesturing to the mobile pram.

It didn't take a Force-user not sensing anything within it to know he was lying. "There's nothing in there." The three looked at her strangely, so Kal waved her hand, using the Force to open it. The eyes of the two unhelmeted humans widened as they turned to her in shock.

"You can move things with your mind," Mando stated simply.

Kal pointed to the Mandalorian. "You don't seem very surprised. But they do." She gestured towards Greef and the woman. "The asset can do it, too, can't it?" She waited a moment, their expressions and body language telling Kal all she needed to know. Kal scoffed. "That's why the blasted Imperials want it. It's a Force-sensitive youngling."

The three didn't get a chance to ask her what that meant when a stormtrooper walked up to the table and leaned down to Kal. "Excuse me, ma'am, but we are receiving a call from the Moff," the trooper told her quietly.

She nodded at the trooper and waited until he walked away before waving her hand, using the Force once again. "Client, answer the call," she ordered, feeling a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong.

"I will answer the call," she heard the Client respond. A trooper brought him a portable comms pad, setting it on the counter.

Kal turned back to the hunters before her. "Being in charge is so exhausting, don't you think?" She moved to grab her glass again. The glass window then shattered from behind the bar, a blaster bolt hitting and killing the Client. Springing into action, Kal knocked over the table for the booth, and ducked down, using it as a shield as more blaster bolts fired into the cantina, peppering the inside and killing the stormtroopers.

Once the shooting stopped, Kal rolled out from behind the table, staying below the level of the window. The woman and the Mandalorian moved out of their covers to both sides of the window, and Kal stood by the Mandalorian, finally on her feet. Outside the cantina was an Imperial firing squad of death troopers with another transport full of stormtroopers incoming. There was also a damn TIE fighter.

"Four stormtroopers?" the female mercenary mocked. More stormtroopers flooded in from the adjacent streets, surrounding the cantina. "This is bad."

Mando spoke into his comm. "Kuill, are you back to the ship yet? Are you there? Do you copy?"

Kal, ignoring the Mando having communication problems, unhooked her two blaster pistols from her belt and spun them in her hands. It had been a while since she had used them. The lightsaber would be the last resort.

"Get back to the ship and bail. Get the kid out of here. We're pinned down." Kal didn't have hope for whoever was on the other line of the Mandalorian's comms.

The dark-cloaked man exiting the TIE fighter moved to stand in front of the cantina. He looked older than Han or Boba. "You have something I want," he announced.

The woman looked at Mando and Kal. "Who is this guy?"

"You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of," the man outside continued. "But you do not." _Pretty sure I do_ , Kal thought.

"Kuill, are you back to the ship yet?" Mando asked through his comm. "They're on to us. Kuill, come in."

"In a few moments, it will be mine."

"He's starting to get on my nerves," Kal muttered, rolling her eyes.

"It means more to me than you will ever know." _Oh, Force, no one cares_.

Mando continued frantically trying to get ahold of his partner over comms, and Kal's sense of dread grew. Stormtroopers must have gotten the youngling from the one Mando called Kuill. Even with all hope seemingly lost, Kal could sense a light at the end of the encounter, paved by loss and pain. Even if she hadn't sensed it, she refused to panic.

"Call them off," the Mandalorian told Kal, turning to look at her.

Kal rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I may have the same accent as many of them, but that doesn't make me one. All Imperials can rot in hell for all I care. Even as a bounty hunter, I hated the blasted Imps."

"Is there another way out?" the woman asked Greef and Mando.

"No, that's it," Greef replied.

"What about the sewers?" Mando wondered.

"Sewers?" Greef repeated, his eyebrows scrunching together.

"Tha Mandalorians have a covert down in the sewers," Mando explained. "If we can get down there, they can help us escape."

"Yeah, sewers are good," the woman blurted.

"Checking for access points."

While the Mando did that, the others turned to watch the Imperials outside. "What the hell are they waiting for?" the woman asked. The stormtroopers then began to unpack and bring forward weapon parts. "Hold up." Kal grimaced, realizing the troopers were setting up a cannon. "They're setting up an E-Web."

"It's over," Greef muttered.

"I found the sewer vent." The three turned to the Mandalorian.

"Let's get the hell out of here," the woman said.

Together the bounty group went to the back of the cantina and pulled a bench off the wall. As they began to try and open the sewer grate, Kal watched the Imperials outside. "It's assembled," she announced as troopers powered up the weapon.

"How long until that thing's cleared?" Greef asked.

"Blow it," the woman said.

"I'm out of charges," Mando told them.

"Let me." Kal was about to walk forward, but Mando grabbed her arm and shoved her back, right up against the wall. She could feel his intense glare from beneath the T-shaped visor that reminded her so much of Boba's but didn't outwardly react.

"I don't trust you," Mando stated plainly.

The big woman, holding a large blaster rifle, then began shooting at the sewer grate. Kal looked up at the Mandalorian incredulously and mildly offended. "So you'll let her do that, making us all look foolish, but you won't let me try when I'm just as trapped in here as you are? Yes, that makes sense. Please continue being the one making decisions." Mando's grip on Kal's arm lessened and he dropped his hand. He knew she had a point.

With the lack of blaster fire as the muscular woman lowered her blaster, the man outside began speaking again. "Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation. I would prefer to avoid any further violence and encourage a moment of consideration. Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure that Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model." The woman, now identified to Kal as Carasynthia or Cara, tensed. Kal eyed the fabric tied around the woman's right bicep. It must be hiding the tattoo, not a wound.

"Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore when gunships outfitted with similar ordnance laid waste to fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears. I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The former bounty hunter turned rebel spy, Kaleena Kenobi, can try to block the bolts, but even her lightsaber won't do you much good." Kal gritted her teeth. So he knew she was there as well. The man must have had people in the city. "The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end."

Greef called out, "What do you propose?"

"Reasonable negotiation," the Imp responded.

"What assurance do you offer?" Greef asked.

"If you're asking if you can trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand." _Wait, so the Imperial warlord is actually the man outside? No wonder it was so easy to mind trick the other man_ , Kal thought."The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the E-Web cannon open fire." The man then turned and walked away.

Kal leaned her head back with a groan, staring up at the ceiling. Of course, the Imp knew the identities of everyone in the room. She shouldn't have been surprised. _Damn you, Boba. I'm blaming you for my current predicament_.

"I say we hear him out," Greef said to the group.

Kal scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "You won't be blasted on sight, genius. Is this seriously what the Guild has become? Hunters don't get taken alive." She looked away from them. "No wonder Fett had an easy time leaving it in shambles."

"Fett?" Greef blurted. "You mean Boba Fett?"

She shrugged exaggeratedly. "What other Fett is there? Jango's deader than a Hutt on Tatooine. I'm only here because Boba thought I'd be interested in ruining the lives of some Imperials. Regardless, it seems I might be the only one with a chance of getting out of here alive."

"The minute we open that door, we're dead," Cara agreed.

"We're dead if we don't," Greef argued. "At least out there, we've got a shot."

Cara began collected weapons and ammo from the fallen stormtroopers. "That's easy for you to say. I'm a Rebel Shock Trooper. They'll upload me to a mind flayer." _Does she mean the Mairan species?_ Cara then gestured to Kal with one of the blasters she had grabbed. "Her too if being a rebel spy is true." Kal held her hands out to her sides with a nod, silently saying, _It's true_.

Greef wasn't happy. "Those aren't real. Those are just wartime propaganda."

"Well, I don't care to find out. I'm shooting my way outta here."

"Me too," Kal agreed, waving one of her blasters.

"What about you, Mando?" Greef asked, not pleased he was out-numbered.

"I know who he is." Greef, Cara, and Kal turned to Mando with expressions of shock and surprise. "It's Moff Gideon." Kal furrowed her eyebrows with a frown.

Cara shook her head. "No. Moff Gideon was executed for war crimes."

"It's him," Mando insisted. "He knew my name."

"So?" Kal asked. "He knew my name, too. I definitely did not go by it during my time in the rebellion, so why's knowing yours so special?"

Mando, or rather Din Djarin, looked at her under his helmet. "I haven't heard that name spoken since I was a child."

Kal made an 'o' shape with her mouth. "Okay, that's fair. Not what I was expecting to hear."

"On Mandalore?" Greef asked.

"I was not born on Mandalore," Mando replied.

"But you're Mandalorian."

"Although they preach solidarity among the people and have a strong sense of family, Mandalorian isn't a race," Kal corrected.

"It's a Creed," Mando finished. "I was a foundling. They raised me in the Fighting Corps. I was treated as one of their own. When I came of age, I was sworn to the Creed." _No wonder he broke the hunter's creed. His Mandalorian creed superseded being a bounty hunter_. "The only record of my family name was on the registers of Mandalore. Moff Gideon was an ISB Officer during the purge. That's how I know it's him."

"That's how he knows who we all are," Cara added.

"He says he needs us, which means the Child got away safely. I was worried when the Ugnaught didn't respond, but if they'd captured the kid, we'd already be dead."

"Hail them again."

The Mandalorian listened to Cara and spoke into his comlink. "Come in, Kuill. Kuill." He lowered his arm. "Nothing."

"They might have jammed the link," Cara said with slight optimism, hoping it was jammed and not something worse.

The group then heard a child squeal over the comm. The Child was still alive. "Kuill has been terminated," a droid, IG-11, said through the comlink.

"What did you do?" Djarin asked harshly. Kal sensed hostility between the Mando and the droid, but it was likely solely coming from the Mandalorian.

"I am fulfilling my base function," the droid replied.

"Which is?"

"To nurse and protect."

Kal suspected there was a story to that but decided to move on. "Well, at least that's cleared up. Now, what's our plan of attack? I recommend the Mando and I going out and drawing fire. His armor will hold up under a fair amount of blaster fire, and I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." She then pointed to Cara and Greef. "That leaves you two for cover fire, picking the Imps off one by one while we're distracting them."

Cara looked at the younger woman with budding respect. "That's not a bad plan. Gutsy, too."

"I'm not just a pretty face." Kal then paused, hearing something in the distance. "You hear that?"

The others stopped and listened. "Sounds like blaster fire," Greef realized. "Who're they fighting?"

"Look!" Cara exclaimed. A droid on a speeder bike came speeding up the road and jumped off letting the bike crash into the stormtroopers. It then proceeded to shoot the troopers around it. Strapped to its chest was the Child everyone was searching for.

"Cover me!" Mando yelled.

Kal gripped her blasters tight and followed Mando and Greef, who really should've stayed inside with Cara but decided not to, out of the cantina to help the droid. They picked off troopers one by one. Kal dodged blaster fire, the Force warning her before they could hit her. The Mandalorian grabbed the cannon off its base and used it to decimate the stormtroopers. A death trooper blasted the main entry of the cantina, knocking Cara down, but she took care of the intruders.

Moff Gideon arrived again, firing a shot at the Mandalorian and hitting him in the helmet with the blaster bolt. The Moff then took out the cannon power unit. The ensuing explosion knocked the Mandalorian down. Kal hurried over to Mando, with IG-11 and Greef continuing to fire at the stormtroopers as Kal dragged Mando back inside the cantina.

Propping him up against a knocked over a table, Kal felt the Mando's pain through the Force.

Greef pointed to the sewer crate and said to IG-11, "This is our only way out. Can you clear it?"

Cara knelt beside Kal who was holding the man up. "Stay with me," she told Mando. "We're gonna get you outta here."

Kal thought of something she might be able to pull off to help the Mandalorian while IG-11 began cutting through the sewer crate. But she had never attempted Force healing before. Lightsaber combat and offensive Force techniques were her comfort zone. She had only read about the technique and heard it in the occasional Holocron teaching.

"Oh, I love IG units," Kal heard Greef say.

"I'm not gonna make it," Mando said. "Go."

"Shut up. You just got your bell rung. You'll be fine," Cara tried to assure. She didn't sound too certain.

Weakly, Mando told her, "Leave me."

Kal pulled her hand from under the Mandalorian's head. Her fingers were covered in blood. She began reaching up to his helmet. "I'm gonna need to take this thing off."

Mando grabbed her hands to stop her. "No. You leave me." He gasped quietly. "Make sure the Child is safe. Here." He pulled off a necklace and handed it to Cara. "When you get to the Mandalorian covert, you show them that. You tell them it's from Din Djarin. You tell them the foundling was in my protection, and they'll help you."

"We can make it," Cara told him firmly. Outside, an incinerator stormtrooper walked up. Cara tried to pull up the Mandalorian. "Come on! Let's go!"

"I'm not gonna make it, and you know it," Mando said. A blast of fire burst through the window. Kal ducked down and Cara covered Mando with her body. When the trooper stopped, Mando continued, "You protect the Child. I can hold them back long enough for you to escape. Let me have a warrior's death."

"I won't leave you."

"This is the way."

The incinerator stormtrooper blasted fire through the open door. Kal gaped at the sight of the Child, small, wrinkly, and green, standing in the middle of the room as the trooper entered the house and turned on the flames. The Child, directly in the way of the flamethrower, raised his hands, holding off the flames with the Force. He pushed them out, throwing the trooper out in an explosion, saving the group. The Child fell over in exhaustion. Kal had never seen such power in a child.

IG-11 kicked open the sewer grate.

"Come on!" Greef exclaimed. "It's open, let's go! We have to move. Now!"

IG-11 grabbed the child, and Cara stood up. Kal decided not to. "Go," she told them. "I'll help him. Escape and protect the Child."

"Promise me you'll bring him," Cara requested.

"You have my word," Kal responded. "Now go." Cara, IG-11, and Greef climbed into the sewer, leaving the cantina behind.

"Do it," Mando muttered. Kal looked at him strangely. "I'd rather have another hunter kill me than some Imp."

Kal sighed. "Don't be so dramatic. I'm not gonna kill you. Hold still." Placing one hand on his chest over the armor and another on the back of his head, Kal reached out through the Force, using her energy to heal the Mandalorian in front of her, no matter how much he seemed to distrust her. Slowly, the wound on the back of his head knit shut and the man was filled with energy that he hadn't had five minutes prior. He gasped and sat up, reaching behind and not feeling any pain. "One more thing, I'm not a bounty hunter. Not anymore." She stood and held out her arm. Mando grasped it and allowed her to help pull him up. She gestured towards the sewer entrance. "Go."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'll buy time. I'll be fine." Kal hooked her blasters back onto her belt then reached under her coat and pulled out her lightsaber. Mando hadn't moved, conflicted about leaving her behind and confused at what she was holding. "Go. Take care of the Child. It deserves a life free of those who would exploit its power."

"But you could train him."

Kal shook her head and replied, "Maybe one day, but that isn't today. Now go help your friends. Protect them."

Beneath the helmet, Mando gritted his teeth and complied, hurrying into the sewer. Before he got too far, he heard a strange noise from the cantina that sounded like something turning on.

Kal's cyan blade glowed in the dim cantina as she readied it in her hand. Slowly exiting the building, she stopped in front of what remained of the stormtrooper force with Moff Gideon at its center. The Imperial grinned at the sight of her. "Master Kenobi," he greeted. "Or is it Aput? Or Skywalker? You've changed surnames so often, it's hard to keep track."

"What do you want with the kid?" Kal asked, her voice ringing out through the courtyard.

"I believe that's my own business," Gideon answered, leaning his head to the side as he studied her. She was surprised he hadn't ordered the troopers to fire. "Why haven't you taken the Child for yourself? I'm certain it'd be safer in the hands of you and your New Jedi Order than in the hands of a Mandalorian bounty hunter."

"I believe that's my own business."

Gideon grinned at her turning his own phrase against him. She was living up to his expectations. Witty and stubborn. "My quarrel isn't with you. You are free to leave without resistance."

Kal narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Why? Because you know I'll kill you?"

"Wasting time trying to apprehend you is pointless. I'm assuming you're buying time for them to escape." It was a statement, not a question. Gideon pressed a button on his wrist guard. "I have troops covering every entrance and exit to this city, even the ones in the sewers. I will get the Child regardless. Return home. There is no point in needless death."

"No, only your death." Thrusting her left hand forward, Kal sent stormtroopers flying back, hitting each other and the walls of surrounding buildings.

"Fire!" Gideon ordered.

Blaster fire erupted from the trooper's weapons and Kal spun her blade around, blocking, deflecting, and dodging each bolt. Stormtroopers fell as they were hit with their own blaster bolts, struck down by her blade, and hit a wall from the Force. Her hair blew in a gust of wind, so she turned to see the TIE fighter taking off. Reaching out with the Force, she tried to pull it back down but was narrowly hit by a blaster bolt. She had to let the ship go. Kal tore through the squad until the firing diminished to nothing. No living being remained in the courtyard, and Kal collapsed onto her knees.

_Kriff, I forgot how exhausting that could be_ , she thought as she sheathed her lightsaber. Kal hooked her saber back to the strap on her leg and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. The Force was telling her to leave, to not interfere. She wanted so badly to seek out the Mandalorian and his group to make sure the Child stayed safe, but the Force was her ally. She needed to trust it. They had a journey ahead of them.

Hijacking a speeder, Kal drove out of the city, taking a few troopers out along the way and returning to her ship. Kal ignored Gray's greetings and jumped into the pilot seat, starting up the ship and taking off into the sky. Kal followed the scanners until she found the TIE fighter that Gideon flew as he harassed the group sailing on a lava river.

With her guns, Kal aimed for the TIE on his next pass and fired, hitting the wing and sending him sailing into the distance, spiraling out of control. The Child and his protectors were safe.


	42. Rebuilding

11 ABY

It had been years in the making, but the day had finally arrived: the day they began taking in new students. Messages had been sent out to the various Force-users Kal and Luke had met over the years, inviting them to officially join the New Jedi Order and be trained by the Jedi Masters already at the Temple, along with a general message on the holonet for Force-users seeking training. There was just one problem. Kal had forgotten what day it was. In her defense, she had been a little busy.

She sat in the Jedi Council chambers in her seat as she leaned over a datapad, typing away and occasionally backspacing, biting her lip in frustration, and typing again.

Luke entered the large, spacious room, having sought her out when she didn't meet him in the main hall as he had planned. She hadn't answered her comm, having turned it off so she could focus. "What are you working on?" Luke asked as he walked over to her.

"I'm penning requests to receive the rights over the patents the Jedi Order had before the Empire took over," Kal responded, not looking up from the datapad she was typing on. He could sense her minor annoyance through the Force, but it wasn't focused towards him, rather towards what she was working on.

Luke's eyebrows furrowed as he looked over her shoulder. "Patents? They had patents?"

"How else do you think they got their funding?" she asked, slight amusement tinging her voice. "The Order didn't solely receive government funding, and I think it'd be a good idea to continue it. With Mon Mothma and Leia on our side and the excitement that seems to be generated in the Senate by the return of the Jedi, I believe we have a good chance at owning the patents again. Mon was kind enough to provide us the funding for installing solar panels and wind turbines to generate power, but diversifying our income is the best course of action in case something goes wrong."

"What kind of patents did they have?" Luke wondered, pulling out the chair next to Kal once he realized he had to indulge her a little before getting her to go with him. He also loved looking at the way her nose scrunched up when she was frustrated, so he didn't really mind waiting.

Kal shrugged, still typing, albeit at a slower pace than before Luke had walked in. His very presence was a distraction. "Various technologies and medicines mostly. With patents made from technological advancements and medical finds plus government funding, the Order was able to not worry about travel costs, clothing, food, shelter arrangements, and keeping the lights on." She paused and looked up at Luke sheepishly. She hadn't learned any of it from her father, so she felt the need to explain. "I was curious one day and asked Ahsoka."

Luke smiled at her. Oh, how he adored her. "Do you think you can take a break?"

"Why would I need to?" Kal asked with a frown.

With the slightest quirk of his eyebrows, Luke tried his hardest not to laugh. "Because I was hoping you'd join me in welcoming our new students."

Kal sighed and closed her eyes briefly, then looking at her husband again. "That's today?"

Luke did laugh that time. "Yes, that's today." He grabbed her datapad and moved it aside. "I think the patents can wait a few hours. They're not going anywhere." Standing, he held out his hand for her to take, which she did, allowing him to help her up and escort her down to the main hall.

Kelin and Karena were already down there waiting for their parents. At seven years old, they were growing faster than Kal and Luke would've liked. Karena liked wearing her blonde hair like her Auntie Leia, a braid wrapped like a crown, while Kelin copied Grandpa Boba, short and cropped so it wouldn't get in his eyes. The twins were buzzing with excitement, trying to contain their grins. They had both been given permission to formally begin their Jedi training, and they were elated, rocking back and forth on their heels and trying not to pick at their robes to pass the time.

The first to arrive was the _Ghost_ carrying Jacen Syndulla being dropped off by Hera with Kanan's lightsaber at his side. The Twi'lek captain planned on visiting often but knew that Kanan would want their son trained. She wanted him trained, too. Jacen, with his bright green hair, couldn't wait. He wanted to be like his father. The eleven-year-old hugged his mother and ran off the ship, hurrying over to the twins who had already promised to show him around.

The next to arrive was a thirty-four-year-old human male by the name of Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial stormtrooper turned rebel who had joined the New Republic as a SpecForce member. He had discovered his father had been a Jedi, much like Kal and Luke, but knew little to nothing about being a Jedi, so he willingly took them up on their offer to train. He had already learned some on his own, but he wanted to learn more.

After Kyle was a twenty-nine-year-old human male named Corran Horn who agreed to train while going by the alias Keiran Halcyon. The Corellian pilot had been in Rogue Squadron during the Civil War before joining the New Republic as many rebels had done.

Kirana Ti from the planet Dathomir had met Han and Leia when in conflict with the Nightsisters who were an opposing group of Force-users to Kirana's Singing Mountain Clan. Kirana was the only member of her clan to take the Jedi up on their offer to train in the next generation of Jedi Knights.

Gantoris, a human male from Eol Sha, who had initially mistrusted Luke when he had arrived on Eol Sha, having received reports from the New Republic indicating the ability of one of the leaders to predict earthquakes. Luke's hunch about it being a latent Force ability had been correct. Gantoris then accepted Luke's offer of more training.

Kam Solusar, the son of Ranik Solusar, a Jedi Master that had been slain by Darth Vader, arrived next. Another human male and thirty-one years old, Kam had met Luke about six months prior on Nespis VIII. He had been trained as a Dark Jedi, and Luke had helped him cast off the chains of the dark side.

From the planet Khomm was Dorsk 81 who was one of eighty-three clones. He didn't fit in with his ancestors, being Force-sensitive, and left the planet to seek guidance which is what drew him to Yavin IV when he learned they were accepting students.

Brakiss, a human male from the planet Msst was the next to arrive. At twenty-three years old, Kal and Luke could immediately tell he didn't want to be there. His mind was open to manipulation through the Force and both Kal and Luke knew he was there as a spy. Kal didn't even need to search through the Force to know he was a spy, as she had a decent amount of experience. But they also knew he had great potential for the light side, so they didn't say anything.

The last to arrive was a Near-human female named Tionne. Thirty-three-years-old and hailing from Rindao, she had been a strange find. She was a scholar of Jedi history who had grown up with the Jedi lore her grandmother had told her. Kal had met her at Exis Station, an ancient Jedi city. The woman wasn't very strong in the Force, but she still had potential, especially as a record-keeper and historian, which Tionne seemed to enjoy doing anyway.

The adults were confused to see children among their group of students but didn't mention it when Luke welcomed the arrivals. "Welcome to the Jedi Praxeum," he greeted as they all met in the main hall. "Today we mark a new era of the Jedi Order and begin rebuilding. You will be the first of the new Jedi Knights, the core of what will become a great order to protect the New Republic. I am Master Luke Skywalker, and this is Master Kaleena Kenobi. We, along with the other masters will teach you the ways of the Force and the ways of the Jedi. Each of you already has some training in certain areas, but with time, we will be stronger."

"Each of you will be given a room and Jedi robes," Kal told them. "Until we learn your current strengths and weaknesses, your schedules will be the same. You'll work on Force techniques with Master Skywalker, combat with Master Kestis and I, Jedi history with Masters Tano and Junda, and a more hands-on approach to training by traveling with Master Bridger. The other masters are currently being recalled and will arrive shortly, but until then, why don't we start with a tour?"

The new students shuffled about the temple, following Kal and Luke. The students eyed the artwork and relics with a mixture of fascination and apprehension and watched the two Jedi Masters with wariness and awe.

Kelin, Karena, and Jacen were simply ecstatic to finally begin, wanting to follow in the footsteps of their parents. The twins were tired of seeing their parents and family friends doing epic feats they could only dream of. They wanted to learn more interesting things than mathematics and galactic history.

Over the following months, the new and old Jedi settled into a comfortable rhythm. Luke taught the students mindfulness through the Force and the ways of using the light side. Kal and Cal focused on the martial arts of lightsaber combat and using the Force in martial practices. Ahsoka and Cere taught history, lore, strategy, and diplomacy while occasionally aiding Kal and Cal with combat when they needed another hand. And Ezra would take a student or two to struggling worlds to provide aid, such as ones who were hit with a natural disaster or needed help fending off pirates and gangs.

They were growing, rebuilding, just as the Jedi before them would want. Just as Yoda and Obi-Wan had asked them to.

* * *

15 ABY

Laughter rang throughout the Jedi Praxeum as Kelin and Karena dragged their cousin Ben around from one room to the next to the next. It wasn't Ben Solo's first visit to the Great Temple on Yavin IV, but he would now be staying to begin his Jedi training with his aunt and uncle at age ten. The twins had already been progressing nicely, built their lightsabers, and were to begin individual training with a master soon since they were eleven, but they were beyond ecstatic to have their cousin around to join. They had missed him.

Ben had chosen, or was rather forced to choose by the twins, the room next to Karena's so he was by his cousins as often as possible. The young boy didn't mind. He hadn't much experience with other children his age due to the jobs of his parents. And now at the Temple, he had his cousins and Jacen who, although being a few years older, enjoyed having them around and younger siblings to look out for.

Occasionally, they would get visits from Leia, Han, Hera, Boba, Hobbie, and Wedge, but it wasn't as often as the children would've liked, so they depended mostly on each other for comfort and entertainment when not training. Luke, Kal, Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka were present as often as they could be, but sometimes an adult's presence only hindered the bonding. They were inseparable.

For a few months, it was just the four of them, the three cousins and the honorary family member, until more children came. Hennix, Tai, and Voe joined the New Jedi Order, all three of whom were around the ages of Ben and the twins.

Hennix, a male Quarren, viewed the Force as a puzzle to solve and unlock and greatly enjoyed studying, so he got along best with Kelin who, over the years, had taken a keen interest in science and Force techniques. They were often found solving puzzles, strategizing, or in the med bay learning from the medical droid.

Voe, a white-haired, dark-skinned, human female, was the more ambitious and aggressive of the children, wanting to be better than the others. She often became angry, and her impulsiveness led her to instigate fights with the others, particularly Ben and Karena who the Force and lightsaber combat came most naturally to. It didn't help that Ben also had a temper and Karena was always ready for a fight on Ben's behalf. The older disciples often had to break the three up. Though they made sure to never fight in front of Ahsoka. Her lectures were worse than Kal and Luke's.

Tai, a bald human male, was the calmest of the bunch. Compassionate Force abilities came naturally to him, such as Force healing and connecting with animals and other living organisms. He was able to get the others to open up and talk about their fears and worries, which is precisely why Kelin grew to have a crush on him as time passed.

Meanwhile, Jacen and Karena just wanted to work on droids, fly, and swing their sabers. They loved the days where a pilot was visiting. Whether it was Hera, Hobbie, Han, Wedge, or Boba, they didn't care. They just wanted to be in a pilot seat. As the two grew older, they often got in trouble for flying off in the _Desert Dragon_ , zooming around the area until they were scolded by Kal or Luke. They continued to do it anyway.

Regardless of the shortcomings of each padawan, they were all incredibly close and cared for one another. They had their strengths and they had their weaknesses. The group complemented and supported each other as a Jedi Order should.

The Order continued to grow. People came and went. Some Force-users simply weren't meant to be Jedi, but they appreciated their time spent on Yavin IV learning how to control and be mindful of their abilities. Some stayed and continued to recruit.

Kyle Katarn was named a Knight and then a Master as he had already had a fair amount of training before arriving. He also joined the Council.

Tionne greatly enjoyed collecting and nurturing the relics and knowledge of the Order and was put in charge of the lore and teaching it to the younger students. She and Kam Solusar had also fallen in love. With the New Order, there was nothing against love as long as it didn't hinder your ability to focus and protect.

Once they had each reached thirteen, the young students were assigned to Knights and Masters as their padawans to learn in a one-on-one fashion. Ahsoka had chosen Karena, Tionne had taken in Kelin, Ezra wanted Jacen, Luke trained Ben, Kam trained Hennex, Kal took in Voe, and Cal got Tai, each padawan taking on a trait or overcoming the same one as their master.

But even as they grew and others joined the Order, the three cousins continued to be the closest out of everyone. On the night's where one of them couldn't sleep, all three would find themselves in one of their rooms chatting away. Sometimes Ben would be braiding Karena's hair to relax her or Kelin would make random shapes with spare machine parts to make them laugh. The three couldn't imagine being apart.

* * *

21 ABY

Kelin and Karena were seventeen when they fully learned where they were headed with their Jedi training. Jacen had already left the Order two years prior, wanting to travel the galaxy as a pilot like his mother. He had learned all he desired about what his father represented, but he felt he could better serve Kanan's hopes and passions by living as he did: in the stars, traveling from place to place helping people. Kelin and Karena didn't hold it against him. They had long since known it was coming.

Kelin, ever analytical and observant, wanted to be a researcher and strategist. He enjoyed picking things apart and making sense of things. He liked learning and puzzles. He focused on mental refinement through study and meditation. He didn't enjoy combat or flying or people he hadn't formed a bond with. Kelin's lightsaber with a green crystal hung from his belt barely ever used. He hated conflict. He counted on the Force and facts above all. He had decided down the Consular path.

Karena, while a lot like her twin with their calm nature and not particularly enjoying being around other people they weren't close to or fond of, deeply enjoyed swinging around her dual teal blades. She was best at combat, excelling at it. But she wasn't simply a fighter like her mother. No, Karena preferred fixing machines and flying. She aspired to blend Guardian and Consular teachings and amplify them with non-Force skills: a Sentinel. She knew there was more to life than simply the Force, and she refused to shun it and not hone other useful skills.

While watching his cousins grow so sure of themselves and their path, Ben worried he would never know his. He was lost and trying to live up to his family legacy: the same legacy his cousins had. But in his eyes, they never seemed to struggle with it, not truly. And so the dark thoughts began to grow and fester in the young Solo's mind, believing he couldn't quite trust the two cousins who loved him unconditionally. Dark thoughts bred irrationality. If only they had noticed his.

* * *

26 ABY

At the top of the Great Temple, Kal meditated, allowing the wind to blow against her skin as she sat high above the treetops. The air was thinner so far high, but it was the quietest part of the Jedi Praxeum. Peace and quiet were a must for what she was attempting to do.

Flickering into existence in front of her was the form of a Jedi she had never met. Kal opened her eyes when the Force alluded her to his presence. The Force ghost sitting in front of her had long hair pulled away from his kind face. He smiled warmly at her and folded his hands in his lap. "It is an honor to meet you at last," he greeted.

She bowed her head in respect. "Master Qui-Gon, I-"

The elder Jedi cut her off with a sly grin. "I know who you are. I certainly know how to pick the rebellious padawans, don't I?"

Kal chuckled quietly. "I suppose you do, Master." First Obi-wan, and then Anakin. Kal might be considered his next one. Although, Obi-Wan would claim to not be rebellious, but where else would Anakin have learned how to go against the wishes of the Jedi Council when his master had literally started disregarding the Council's wishes the moment he became a Jedi Knight.

"You have called me here for a reason, and I believe I know what you'd like to learn. I only have one question: why? Why must you learn it?"

Taking in a deep breath and averting her gaze, she replied, "I have been plagued by disturbing visions. I fear I will not be on this plane of existence much longer." She looked back up at him. "But I cannot leave my children without offering them guidance. There is always more someone can learn, and when the time is right for them, I want to be able to help and offer aid. But I can't do that without your wisdom, without what you had taught my father."

An amused grin graced Qui-Gon's face as he studied the woman in front of him. "You get your way with words from Obi-Wan. That is precisely why he wanted to learn the ability as well: to provide guidance for you and the young Skywalker." He shifted in his seat, gazing at her with a pearl of wisdom only gained from multiple lifetimes. "I will teach it to you, but even with the knowledge, you must know it isn't permanent. At some point, even we must cross the veil to the Netherworld. It isn't a true eternal life."

"I understand, Master." Kal only needed to be able to guide her children until they were ready to be without her, no matter how much she wanted them to always need her.

Qui-Gon was ready to pass on his teachings yet again. "It comes only through the release of self, not the exaltation of self like the Sith had believed, never truly achieving the eternal life they so desired. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness. It is the acceptance of true peace."


	43. Lost It All

Epilogue

28 ABY

Fires burned before their eyes. Ashes fell from the skies. The sound of a lightsaber slicing through innocents filled their ears. A hole in their hearts where love and hope should be was left empty and aching. A voice cried out in the darkness.

The four Skywalker's had each woken up at the same time, sitting up in their beds, sweating, and breathless. They had each seen the same thing: Ben Solo's fall to the Dark Side and the destruction of the Jedi Temple. All four quickly dressed in their Jedi robes and grabbed their weapons, sensing devastation and ruin on the horizon as well as hearing a loud explosion and a wall closing in, like the vision of Ben using the Force to tear down his ceiling.

Kal and Luke burst from their room just as Kelin and Karena left theirs across the hall.

"You saw it, too?" Kal asked her kids. They nodded, still wide-eyed and gripping their lightsabers tight in their hands. "Alright, you two leave the temple and tell everyone you see to evacuate. Do not stay inside. Flee into the jungle towards the colony. We'll look for Ben and help others get out. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you," the twins responded in unison.

They then ran off, hurrying out of the temple and telling the few they saw what their parents had told them. Some were off-world already on a mission, like Hennix, Voe, and Tai, so the twins weren't worried about them. Kal and Luke checked each room, the Dark Side of the Force clouding their thoughts when searching for their nephew.

Even though it was Kal and Luke searching for Ben, it was Kelin and Karena who found him.

Outside the temple with his lightsaber ablaze and pointed at the temple, the clear night sky became muddled by red storm clouds that matched the red growing in Ben's eyes.

"Ben!" Karena yelled, but it was too late.

Caused by his rage and inner conflict, the red storm clouds erupted with lightning, striking the temple. The force of the lightning sent the three flying away. Bits of the temple began to collapse or burn.

The first up was Ben who began to try and run, but Kelin stopped him with the Force and sent him hurtling towards the nearest tree. Climbing back onto his feet, Kelin surged forward, blinded by his brief anger at knowing his parents were still inside the temple that was crumbling because of his cousin: the cousin they had treated like one of their own, the cousin they had loved with all their hearts.

With a swing of his lightsaber, Kelin attacked Ben. Ben easily parried and blocked the oncoming attacks, far better at combat than his older cousin. His eyes still tinged with red, Ben cut off Kelin's right hand and blasted him back towards the temple with the Force. Kelin's back hit a large chunk of debris with burning vines.

Karena saw her brother get thrown back as she made herself get back onto her feet. The lightning strike had caused her to hit her head, so she bled from a large cut above her eye. Letting out a strangled cry, she ignited her twin blades and threw one towards her cousin. He ducked before it could slice his head off. It did cut down a tree before arcing back to her outstretched hand.

The two stood staring at each other waiting for the other to make a move.

Karena held her lightsabers down at her side, eyeing her aggressively-stanced cousin. "Why are you doing this, Ben?" she asked, her voice carrying out over the fire raging and wind blowing.

"Uncle tried to kill me," he replied, angry tears pooling in his eyes.

She shook her head. "What are you talking about? You lie."

"No, I'm not lying!" Ben's voice was filled with anguish and desperation. "He came into my room right before all of this and lit his saber. He was going to murder me! I had to stop him. He's dead under the rubble." He couldn't understand why his cousin didn't believe him. He wanted her to believe him.

"I saw my dad with my mom," she told him, her expression twisting from rage to worry. His words didn't sound right. She knew something was wrong. Something had been twisted in his mind. "He's been with her all night. He'd never try to hurt you, Ben. You know that!"

He didn't believe her just as she didn't believe him. "No, no!" Ben raised his blade, holding it in front of him.

"Put down your lightsaber, Ben," Karena pleaded. "We don't have to fight. You don't have to do this."

 _Yes, you do_ , a voice told him.

"Yes, I do."

Ben ran forward and sliced his saber through the air. The plasma blade connected with Karena's twin ones. She pushed him away then swung at him. Ben narrowly dodged his faster cousin. He hadn't beaten her often at combat, but that time he had an advantage. He was fueled by the Dark Side and she was confused, overcome with worry, and had a concussion. She was distracted, and he saw clearly.

The sabers danced in the darkness until Ben saw an opening and took it, his lightsaber carving across her stomach. Karena collapsed on the ground, her lightsaber hilts landing beside her.

Ben watched her fall with wide eyes and shook his head. "I didn't want this," he muttered to himself. "I'm sorry." He never wanted to hurt anyone. He turned to the destroyed temple. Maybe he could see if anyone had survived. He then tried to run inside.

Another explosion knocked him back before he could get too close. From the explosion sprung Kal who carried Ezra on her back. Kal dropped her friend on a large slab of debris and landed on her knees. Breathing heavily and filled with exhaustion and anguish, Kal picked up her head to see her children on the ground surrounded by rubble and fire with lightsaber wounds, looking as dead as she felt inside.

Her eyes zeroed in on her nephew.

Kal rose hesitantly to her feet. "What have you done?" she asked, her voice shaking. Ben could barely hear her.

Ben started to shake his head as he picked himself up off the ground. "Auntie."

The Jedi Master was eerily calm and at peace as she studied her nephew. "The vision was right. You betrayed our trust and our teachings. You have fallen." Taking a few steps forward, Kal jumped down from the rubble to be on an even field with Ben a few feet in front of her. "You have fallen to the Dark Side."

 _Why doesn't my family believe me?_ Ben thought before allowing himself to be consumed with anger. They didn't believe him. They didn't want to believe him. He wasn't going to force them to. He was going to embrace it. "I wasn't the one betrayed." His eyes that once matched his fathers were clouded with the red that covered the sky above the temple.

Fires raged on Yavin IV. Storms brewed overhead. The Jedi Praxeum, everything Kal, Luke, their friends, and their family had worked so hard to build, was in ruins. But she couldn't let herself fall like her nephew. She had worked too hard to overcome the worst of her flaws: her anger, her impatience. It had taken years, and she wouldn't let her control fail in one night. It wasn't the Jedi way.

"You killed your peers, your friends, your family. You have razed the Jedi Temple that had been made your home." Kal plucked her hilt from her belt and held it at her side. "I, Master Kaleena Kenobi, am hereby expelling you, Ben Solo, from the Jedi Order. For your crimes, you are under arrest and will stand trial for murder in the New Republic. I will do what I must in the hopes that one day, you will be returned to the Light."

Kal walked forward at a steady pace, turning on her lightsaber as she moved toward Ben. She didn't want to hurt him. He was still her nephew, after all. She loved him deeply. It was the last thing she wanted to do. But he had destroyed her home, killing the occupants inside, and slaughtered her children. There was no excuse.

Ben was the first to swing his blade, Kal deflecting and parrying his blows. While she was far more skilled than he with years of experience well beyond his level, Kal was only trying to disarm him. Ben was swinging to kill, to get away, to flee, any option possible.

The last thing Kal's eyes saw was her nephew's scared, desperate eyes as his lightsaber slid into her abdomen.

* * *

Luke had been unconscious under the rubble when his wife had been killed. He awoke to the pain she and their children had felt through the Force. It was too much for him to bear. It hurt him, made him dizzy, unsettled, and confused. It didn't make sense until he found her body.

He stumbled over to Kal's corpse and knelt beside her, pulling her into his arms. Tears streamed down his face as he held her tight against his chest. He felt shame and despair and agony as the fire of the temple began to diminish under the pouring rain.

The Jedi Order had collapsed once again, along with all of Luke's hope.

When Artoo, who hadn't been in the temple when it had been struck by lightning, beeped to get Luke's attention, only a sliver of hope returned. The faithful astromech sat by one of the twins he used to watch over when they were younger.

Luke gently laid Kal back on the ground and struggled to his feet, his legs jelly and sore. Kneeling by his daughter, Luke realized Karena was still alive and just barely breathing. He then went to check on Kelin who laid nearby. While badly burnt across his back and missing a hand just like his father, Kelin was alive as well. Not all hope was lost for the galaxy, but Luke wanted no part in it.

Luke fled Yavin IV, leaving Artoo behind to watch over the twins. After sending a message to Leia to go to the Jedi Praxeum as quickly as possible, Luke turned off all communication and shut himself off from the Force, severing his connection to it as he went in search of the first Jedi Temple to live in exile.

Everything he had fought for was in ruins. He wished it had been him lifeless on the ground. It should have been him. It was all his fault.

* * *

Leia arrived with Wedge and Hobbie as quickly as they could at Luke's summons. But when they arrived on Yavin IV, they were shocked to see what had occurred. Gray and Artoo, with no one at the temple, had gone to the colony to get help from the last remaining Dameron on the planet. Kes Dameron had already begun tending to Kelin and Karena's wounds when the freighter and X-wing landed.

"What happened?" Hobbie demanded to know as he hurried over to the former rebel applying bacta ointment on Karena's stomach.

"I don't know," Kes replied, completely focused on the young girl in front of him. "There was a storm and the droids came and got me soon after. I haven't touched anything."

Leia stared at the devastation around them, covering her mouth with her hand. She couldn't let herself show the emotions swirling in her. She had to remain calm and collected to assess the situation.

Wedge's hands shook as he stared at a body by the temple. He moved forward, almost trance-like. Once he was close enough, he recognized it as Kal, the woman he had befriended as a young rebel. Wedge fell to his knees next to her. Her body had been moved, he could tell. She hadn't fallen directly on her back with her legs straight and arms folded over her lightsaber on her chest. He knew Luke must've moved her before fleeing.

The long nights on a ship together were over. Kal buying them all drinks at the bar was over. Him making her laugh after a long mission was over. Her distracting him while he worked on his X-wing was over. He hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye.

Wedge couldn't take it like Leia could. A sob wracked his body, and he folded over Kal. The sound drew Hobbie and Leia's attention.

"No, no, no, no!" Hobbie cried with increasing volume, pulling himself up and running over to Wedge's side. "No, no, Kal." He brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face. He remembered flirting with her when they met and sneaking off together when she visited the various rebel bases. He remembered intentionally making Luke jealous of their relationship. He remembered her saving his life. He hadn't been able to save hers.

Leia's movements were slow as she made her way over to her sister-in-law. She couldn't break down. She couldn't break down. Kal wouldn't want her to break down. But as Leia stood over Kal and the crying pilots, Kal's boys, a single tear fell down her cheek. She wouldn't have Kal's calm-under-pressure demeanor with the increasing threat of the First Order. She wouldn't have her friend.

Kelin and Karena had been brought to the nearest Republic medical station, being escorted by the droids and Hobbie because they couldn't wait around for a medical frigate. Hobbie couldn't leave Kal's kids, but Leia and Wedge couldn't leave Kal.

As Kelin and Karena were being attended to at the Republic medical station, Hobbie asked Artoo and Gray what had happened. Their responses left Hobbie feeling cold.

Ben Solo had betrayed them, and Luke had run away. He didn't want to believe it, but he did. Artoo then switched off without warning, leaving Gray alone with the humans.

Leia called Boba. She was the only one not completely broken down, no matter how much she wanted to. She also called Han, an excavation team, and a medical frigate. They needed to look for more survivors if there were any.

Once Boba arrived, he couldn't move from Kal's side. He didn't shed any tears or say any words. He didn't move. He didn't move even as Republic disaster crews arrived. He didn't move when Snap pulled Wedge away. He didn't move when Han held Leia close. He didn't move when the rubble shifted and they found bodies.

Setting a hand on the bounty hunter's shoulder, Leia quietly said, "We have to move her. She can't stay here."

Boba didn't reply. For a few moments, Leia wasn't quite sure he even heard her, but he did. She was about to speak again when he started to move. Boba picked her up just as he had done when she had been stranded on Hoth. But she wasn't unconscious like she had been on Hoth. She was dead. Boba lifted her off the ground and carried her away from the temple and towards the jungle.

"Where are you going?" Han asked.

"We can't bury her," Boba replied, his voice clipped and stern as he tried not to show any emotion. "Jedi have a funeral pyre."

"Wait," Leia called. "Wait!" She ran in front of the bounty hunter to get him to stop. "Her children are still alive. They'll want to be there for it. We can't burn her yet."

He hadn't even thought about her kids. Everything had left his mind at the sight of her dead body. He lowered his head, ashamed he had forgotten something so important, and followed Leia to the medical frigate.

When inside, while medics and droids were rushing to take care of the few survivors, Boba cleaned Kal up, wiping away the blood and grime that covered her face and hair. He also stripped off her kyber crystal necklace and lightsaber, setting them aside to pass along to her children like he knew she would want. He remembered her once telling him the necklace had belonged to her own mother, so it seemed only right to give them to Kelin and Karena. And Boba was honored to be the one to pass them along, even if it should have been Kal or Luke instead.

But no one knew where Luke had gone.

The galaxy had lost their Jedi protectors once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment!


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